Marissonshipping Drabble
by modeststroke
Summary: Just some random short stories about some cute nerds.
1. Cramps

Alain groaned when he felt small hands shaking him awake. A tiny voice called to him from beyond the sleepy fog.

"Alain?"

Opening his eyes, he saw Manon leaning over him. Small tears shimmered at the edges of her eyes. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his own. "Manon, what are you doing awake?" He asked, holding in a yawn and trying to swallow the slight irritation creeping into his voice. It was late, and they had walked farther than even he had anticipated before finally setting up camp.

"I can't sleep, Alain." She said, avoiding his gaze.

"Why?" He was getting a little more worried now.

"It hurts . . ."

"What hurts?"

" . . ."

Alain sighed and unzipped his sleeping bag, shuffling over and patting the new empty space. Manon didn't wait for him to say anything. She climbed into the welcoming cocoon and pressed herself against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, noticing she was rather tense.

"What hurts?" He repeated.

Manon was quiet for a moment. She buried her face deeper into Alain's skin. "Cramps . . ." She mumbled in a voice so low he barely heard her.

Heat flooded through Alain's cheeks, but he pushed it away. Before he knew it himself, his hand was on Manon's lower back, gently massaging her aching bones. She moaned quietly beside him, her body relaxing.

Alain didn't know how much time had passed, but he could hear Manon's little snores below him. He smiled, yawning discretely to himself.

"Goodnight, Manon . . ." He whispered, sinking back into his own dreams.


	2. The Tiny Bodyguard

Alain fell to his knees beside his beaten Charizard. The dragon had reverted back to its original form and lay fainted on the floor, body coated in scratches and bruises. Manon watched fearfully from a few feet away as Lysandre called back his Pyroar. The tall man started to step towards Alain, but Manon threw herself in front of the knocked down teen and spread her arms out as if to shield him. She glared at Lysandre with blazing hazel eyes, fists shaking. "Stay away from Alain!" She barked, standing her ground.

"Manon, don't!" Alain yelled, hoping she would listen to him for once in her life. She didn't turn her head, didn't respond at all. She kept her eyes locked on Lysandre.

Lysandre smirked at the tiny thing in front of him and Alain shook his head, eyes wide. He looked back to Charizard in hopes that his partner would get up. The dragon didn't move.

"Well now, Alain. It seems you have a little bodyguard." Lysandre's tone was taunting and playful. He stepped closer, closing the tiny space between him and Manon so that he was practically standing on top of her. She didn't leave her spot, refusing to let him pass.

"Manon, stop! Just listen to me, please!" Alain pleaded, voice cracking with fear. Manon turned her head to look at him, but when she did Lysandre grabbed her and threw her against the tiled floor. A small gasp escaped her as her head hit the ground. Alain thought he heard a small _crack_ at the impact and he prayed that it was just his imagination.

Lysandre stared coldly at Manon's crumpled form by his feet. He kicked her hat away and pressed his boot against her head. She had lost consciousness and was nothing more than a rag doll, unable to do anything to protect herself from the man threatening to crush her skull.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Alain screamed, throwing a pleading look at Lysandre. The man didn't seem to care for his words at all. He twisted his boot against Manon's head. "I'll do anything!" Alain added desperately when Lysandre started to put more pressure onto the fragile trainer beneath him.

"Work for me. Be my loyal assistant again."

"I . . ."

A sickening thud echoed off the walls as Lysandre brought his foot down hard against Manon's gut, kicking her limp form across the floor. Alain held back tears as her body was sent sprawling across the tiles. This wasn't right. Not at all!

 _ **"I'll do it! Just stop! Please!"**_

Lysandre smirked and turned to leave as if nothing had happened. "We start tomorrow at dawn. I expect your full cooperation, otherwise there will be consequences. And it won't be you paying the price."

Alain scrambled to his feet and ran to Manon's side, pulling her frail and battered body into his lap and holding her against him. He rested his back against the hallway wall, running his fingers over Manon's skin as he tried to find the worst of the bruises.

"I'm sorry, Manon. I'm so sorry . . ."


	3. Sedative

Still in her nightgown, Manon drowsily made her way down the unfamiliar halls of Lysandre Labs. She had only just started to stay in the giant laboratory, since Alain and her had finally become official. She was glad to be able to stay close to him, but the twisting halls all looked the same to her.

Distant grumbles drew her towards an open door a few paces away. She poked her head in to find a strange room dotted with glass cages, all sealing small green Pokémon inside. She had never seen anything like it before. When the grunts went quiet and raised their heads in her direction, she started thinking there was a reason she hadn't.

"Well if it isn't Alain's little girlfriend. What are you doing so deep in the labs?" One of the grunts set down the pencil and paper he had been using.

"I just . . . I got lost while looking for Alain. Sorry, I'll go somewhere else." She started to back away when someone grabbed her from behind, locking her hands against the back of her head. She gasped and tried to struggle away, but she was too small. Her heart raced as another grunt started moving towards her, a syringe in his gloved hand.

"Now Manon, we can't have you wandering around the labs. Especially not here. Since you're Alain's girl we'll let you off with a warning." He reached out, wrapping his fingers around the bottom of her chin so that he cupped her face. "But if you come down here again, we won't be as forgiving."

Manon grunted, trying to shake the scientists off of her. They held her tightly, and the one holding her face forced her head back so that her neck was exposed. A sudden cold rushed through her body, then there was an overwhelming tiredness. She moaned quietly as her body collapsed into the red suited man that held her from behind.

"Bring her to Alain. Tell him to watch her better or things won't end as peacefully next time."

The words swam over her head. Manon felt herself being lifted and carried. She could still sense where the needle had gone into her neck. She felt dreadfully cold, and as heavy as a mountain of bricks. Moving was beyond impossible, let alone speaking. She wanted to sleep. She needed to sleep.

Minutes drifted by, or maybe it had been hours. Everything was just a blur in Manon's mind. But when she felt the grunt stop walking she knew that something was about to happen. She tried to focus, but her thoughts kept slipping.

"What did you do to her?!" It was Alain's voice. He sounded angry, maybe scared.

"Relax, we just gave her a sedative. She'll be fine in a few hours." The grunt dropped her into Alain's arms and turned away. "Keep a better eye on her. Things won't be so pleasant the next time she wanders somewhere she shouldn't be."

She could feel Alain's fingers running through her loose hair as he walked with her in his arms. Guilt flooded through her. She had made him worry again.

"Sorry . . ."

Alain looked down, surprised to hear Manon speak, though her voice was barely audible and horribly slurred. He tightened his grip on her as he continued down the hall to his room. "Just rest, Manon. You did nothing wrong."

He kept the lights off as he carried Manon over to his bed. She was barely awake, but refused to fall asleep despite the drug running through her veins. He rested her carefully on the mattress and pulled the covers over her shoulders before taking a seat beside her, anger making his hands curl into fists.

"I'm sorry, Manon. I shouldn't have left you alone so soon when you don't know your way around the lab. I didn't know they would do this . . ."

Manon wrapped her hand tiredly around Alain's fist. He only frowned back at her, sinking into the covers and pulling her closer. He could feel her slow breaths against his chest as he wrapped his arms over her and held her tightly. Once she was safely nestled against him she finally let herself drift to sleep.


	4. Hurt

Alain gripped Manon's wrist tightly as he pulled her with him, racing down the streets of Lumiose. Behind them were yelling Flare grunts. Alain could hear Manon struggling to breathe as she fought to keep up with his longer strides. She wasn't as strong as him, and definitely not as fast.

Red vines tunneled through the ground around them, shooting up randomly and making them change their course. More grunts started pursuing the duo, sometimes cutting them off. Alain could see Sycamore's helicopter in the distance, could see the professor and Ash waving frantically for him to hurry and get in. It was just a little farther, just one more stretch-

 _ **"Agh!"**_

Manon crashed to the ground. Alain whirled around to go back and help her up, but before he could reach her a Pokémon shot past him, so fast he couldn't even see it. Manon had only just risen to her feet when it lashed out at her with a long, sharp claw. She hardly made a sound as it sliced through her skin, leaving a long gash running diagonally from her shoulder to her waist. She stared at Alain in horror as her feet gave out below her, the enemy Pokémon already out of sight.

 **"Manon!"**

Alain sprinted to her side, lifting her trembling body into his arms. Barely taking a moment to look at the horrifying cut, he darted towards the helicopter. Sycamore, who had seen what had happened, was already yelling at someone Alain couldn't see to get medical supplies ready. Manon grabbed at Alain's shirt, wheezing and twitching as blood welled out of her wound. "A-Alain, leave m-me. I'm slowing you d-down."

"Shut up! You're not slowing me down, and I'm not leaving you! So just shut up!" He held her tighter in his arms, the helicopter only a few strides away now. Manon moaned in his arms as he pushed himself to run faster.

"Alain, I won't m-make it . . ."

"You will! Sycamore already has medical supplies ready to help you! We're both getting through this mess!" Within seconds he reached the helicopter. Sycamore reached down and took Manon from him so that he could haul himself into the machine. Serena slammed the door shut the moment Alain made it inside. The helicopter roared to life and they rose into the air.

Sycamore had set Manon down on the cold, metal floor. She wasn't breathing well, and her cut was still bleeding heavily. Alain knelt down beside her, fighting the urge to hold her in his arms. Sycamore had a med kit open beside him.

"Manon, can you hear me?" Sycamore said, leaning over her. When she didn't respond he gritted his teeth and checked her pupils. She wasn't conscious anymore. Without hesitation Sycamore pulled on the hem of her shirt and began tearing it. Finally, he tossed the sticky, bloodied fabric aside. The cut was in clear view now. It was long and deep. "Alain, are you sure you want to stay? This isn't going to be pleasant. . ."

"I won't leave her. Not now."

Sycamore nodded as he reached into the med kit. "I don't have anything with me to help stop the pain. I need you to hold her down while I clean the wound. Don't let go no matter what."

The professor's words sent shivers down Alain's spine and made his stomach feel heavy. "I-I'll try, sir." He swallowed the bile in his throat and gently cupped Manon's cheek before pressing her shoulders against the floor. He watched as Sycamore pulled out a bottle of alcohol and closed his eyes as it neared Manon. There was the sound of pouring liquid, and then there was screaming. Everyone in the helicopter jumped as Manon suddenly screeched and writhed in Alain's grip. She squirmed under him as Sycamore poured the alcohol onto her exposed stomach. Alain struggled to keep Manon down as she blindly thrashed against the floor. Her spasm only lasted for a few moments before her body seemed to give up. She went limp as Sycamore finished cleaning, only letting out an occasional whimper as she drifted in and out of reality.

"Alright, that's done . . ." Sycamore sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and put the bottle away. He then pulled out what looked like a sewing needle and nylon sutures. Alain's eyes grew wide and he shook his head hastily.

"You can't do that!"

"We don't have a choice, Alain. Do you want her to bleed out in this helicopter?" Despite his firm voice, his eyes were soft. "I know this isn't easy . . ."

Alain held Manon's lifeless hand in his and ran his fingers through her sweaty hair. Sycamore started stitching her wound and in moments she was panting, struggling to breathe through the pain. Barely awake, and with tears in her eyes, Manon let out a hoarse cry. She held Alain's hand tightly and he continued to try to comfort her as best he could. Seeing her like this wasn't easy for him. It was hard to keep himself from lunging at Sycamore to make him stop.

Minutes turned into an hour as Sycamore pulled Manon's cut closed. Eventually he finished the last stitch and cut the thread. It wasn't pretty, but it did what it needed to do.

Alain sighed as Sycamore wrapped bandages around her chest and stomach. Alain grabbed a spare shirt out of his bag and gently pulled it over Manon's head, which was easy since the neck hole was as wide as her shoulders. He lay down next to her, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her.

 _I'm right here. I promise I'm right here with you._

 **A/N**

 **What even is this? Why is this a thing? Why did I write this? IDK .**


	5. I Want to be Strong

The captain of the elite castle guard stared down the small girl standing in front of him. He almost laughed at the absurdity that was presented to him. The armor she wore was at least two sizes too big, and she barely reached the other shoulders of the soldiers around her. She was tiny and thin, nothing but bones. Despite her obvious disadvantage, determination sizzled within her hazel gaze.

"You want to be a guard? You sure you can handle it little missy?" The captain grinned, bending over exaggeratedly to make her feel even smaller than she was. "The battlefield isn't for a tiny thing like you. What's your name anyway, squirt?"

The girl stood tall, holding herself straight. She looked him straight in the eye before answering, "Manon, sir."

"Well then, MAN-on, why don't you show us what you've got?" The burly man tossed her one of the wooden swords tucked at his side. A small squeal escaped her lips as she hesitantly caught it with slippery fingers. Another sword was tossed to one of the more experienced guard members, a boy with navy hair and icy blue eyes. He caught it with ease, hardly even having to look. "Alain will be your sparring partner. Let's see how you hold up against him."

Manon nodded stiffly. The other soldiers backed off, leaving a wide ring of space for Manon and the older boy called Alain to fight. She raised her sword and stood still, waiting to see what he did first. His watched her for a moment with an unreadable expression, circling her like she was his prey.

Confusion played at her brain as she tried to follow his movements and predict what he would do next. He just kept circling her slowly, a small bounce to his step. Manon bit her lip and backed up to hopefully gain a bit of distance, but the moment she lifted her foot he lunged forward. She didn't have any time to react as Alain's sword slammed against hers and sent it flying to the dirt. Her feet slipped out from under her as he closed the tiny space between them. A loud thud filled the training ring as she hit the dirt. By the time she had opened her eyes, the tip of Alain's sword was mere inches away from her face.

"H-How did you do that?" Manon stuttered. She couldn't even begin to try to process what had just happened. One minute she was holding her ground, the next she was on the ground. Frustration bubbled within her when Alain simply lowered his sword and backed away, giving her room to find her feet again.

The captain watched her as she raised herself back up. He watched how her knees buckled, and how her arms shook. She wouldn't last a moment on an actual battlefield. Had it been a real fight she would have lost her head. Alain had been kind to her, even if she didn't know it yet. Knowing he couldn't just send her home, he motioned to the experienced guard with a nod. "Alain, I want you to train Manon."

"What?! But sir, the enemy has already declared war on us! We don't have time to train a runt like her right now! She's hardly cut out to be a regular soldier, much less an elite guard." Alain looked from Manon to the captain. He wasn't trying to be rude to the girl, he was only speaking the truth.

"We have many soldiers going off to fight already. You're an experienced fighter, surely you can teach her some skills. I'm not saying I'm going to send her off to fight in this battle, but in the future she could, with your help, be an asset."

Alain sighed in defeat and retrieved Manon's sword before handing it to her. Their hands touched when she took it from him and he immediately drew his away. Manon shot him a questioning glance, but shrugged her shoulders. The rest of the guards in training dispersed, leaving her and Alain alone.

Manon watched as a large group of men swarmed towards the castle gates carrying swords and bows on their backs. They spoke to each other, some nervously and others excitedly. Turning to Alain, she asked, "Where are they going?"

"They're going to fight in the war that the captain was talking about. The enemy is almost at our borders and we're sending our own army to meet them there to protect our castle, and our land. But that isn't any concern of yours. Right now you wouldn't be any help to them. Just focus on training."

"Right . . ."

* * *

Manon brought her sword up just as Alain's was about to crash down against her side. She stumbled a bit, but held her ground and pushed forward to make him falter. They had been training together for two months and she had learned a lot from the experienced fighter.

Alain smiled as sweat coated his skin beneath his chainmail. He rushed at Manon again, but she dodged to the side, using her smaller size as an advantage. She kept moving, like he had taught her to do, and it made her a hard target to hit. Eventually they bowed to each other and sheathed their wooden swords. Another group of soldiers would be leaving to fight in the war that day, and Manon had been bugging Alain about letting her go.

"Alain, it's almost time for them to be leaving. I want to go with them. Please, let me go!" Manon pleaded, dropping her practice sword in the barrel at the edge of the clearing.

Alain discarded his as well and turned to her with a frown. "You aren't ready. You have no idea what fighting is like on an actual battlefield."

Manon huffed, hands finding her hips. "Do you?"

Though she waited for a response, she received none. The older boy simply stalked off with an unreadable expression painted across his face. She puffed out her cheeks as he barked at her over his shoulder. "If you want to run to your death so quickly than go ahead. Maybe you'll learn something from it."

Stomping her foot irritably, Manon marched over to where the soldiers and guards were gathered. She would join them. When she came home a hero, Alain would apologize for not believing in her. The entire guard would admit that they were wrong, and that she too was strong like them.

* * *

Manon was gone. She had left to battle with the other soldiers. Alain had rushed to her room after cooling down from their earlier argument to find her bed empty and cold. Absolute panic shot through him. His blood froze. She would die on the battlefield. A small girl like her would be trampled, knocked over and snapped like a twig.

 _Why did I leave her?! I didn't think she would actually go! Stupid, Manon! Why are you so stupid?!_ The castle walls blurred around him as he charged down the halls blindly, almost crashing into several servants. He didn't care. He had to get to Manon! _Just hold on! I'm coming, Manon! Don't you dare die before I get there!_

* * *

It smelled of salt and rain. That was the only thing Manon's mind could process as she stood in the middle of the fray. Swords clanged around her and men yelled as their bodies were slashed and cut. Her limbs trembled as she held her own sword. She felt small. She hated feeling small, but the feeling was overwhelming at this point. The enemy soldiers all towered over her, not even paying attention to her. Bodies lay unmoving on the grass, yet she just stood in the center of the fighting.

 _I'm not even worth their time . . ._ she realized. Her gaze dropped down to the sword in her palms. It was clean, not a smudge of blood on its blade. She hadn't done anything. Frustrated, she screamed and raced towards one of the intruders in front of her.

The man was giant, she hardly reached his elbows. She yelled and raised her sword, but he turned to her and blocked her strike before she had a chance to do anything. He smiled at her, pushing her aside with his blade. Annoyed by his blatant disinterest, she went to lash out at him again, managing to rip a small bit of his chainmail. Satisfaction flooded through her, only to be instantly replaced by horror as the bulky soldier glared at her with annoyance. He was done playing games now.

His sword came down at her like lightning and then she was on the ground. The smell of salt was closer than before, her vision going blurry. She heard footsteps all around her. She was shaking, she couldn't stop. Her eyes trailed down to the blood running from her chest. Breaths shuddering, she tried to cover the wound with her hand, but the blood only seeped through her fingers.

"You should have just stayed home kid . . ." She heard the bigger man say, before everything around her swirled into a dark silence.

* * *

They were retreating, Alain realized, as he watched his fellow soldiers and guards racing in the opposite direction of the border. He hadn't found Manon yet. That was the only thing he cared about. Rain obscured his vision and he wiped his hair out of his face as he scanned the battlefield. He wouldn't give up until he found her, even if she was dead when he did. He wouldn't let her be left in a place like this.

He stumbled over a few bodies, luckily not recognizing any of them. He heard screams and cries, but none of them belonged to the small girl he was looking for. Wiping the rain from his eyes, he kept searching the grassy field. Then his eyes caught a glimpse of red, but it wasn't blood. He would have recognized that spiky hair anywhere . . .

 ** _"_** ** _Manon!"_**

Alain sprinted towards the tiny girl collapsed on the grass. Anger rushed through him as the soldiers that were supposed to be her allies raced right by her, not bothering to even notice her or attempt to help her. They simply didn't care. They didn't care at all. He had been like them once, but then he had started working with her, and he had realized how special she was. She worked so hard, she pushed herself until she couldn't even stand anymore.

Dropping to his knees beside her still form, he pulled Manon into his lap and held her tightly, resting his fingers against her neck. She was breathing, her pulse still working beneath her skin. Blood dripped from a long cut down her chest, but it wasn't deep enough to kill her. She had been shown mercy . . .

Alain silently lifted Manon in his arms and held her close as he followed the others back to the castle. He decided that from then on he would always do his best to support her. He wouldn't let the other soldiers put her down anymore. She didn't deserve to live that way, not when she was the bravest out of all of them.


	6. It's Okay

Manon - 19

Alain - 22

It was late at night when the buzzing of her phone woke Manon from her sleep. She groaned, pushing her tangled red hair away from her face. It took her a moment to process that her phone was buzzing, and then another moment to realize she had to answer it to make it stop. Without looking at the caller ID, she brought it to her ear and murmured into it half-heartedly.

"Hello?"

"Heyyyy, Manon, what are you doinnn?" Alain's voice said through the speaker. His words were slurred, and his unusually casual speech caught her off guard. She sat up, rubbing here eyes tiredly. The clock in the corner read 3:15am. Why was he calling her now? Why wasn't he home?

"Alain, where are you?" She asked, a little worried.

"Wishing I was with you, darlinggg."

Manon blushed, trying to wrap her head around the whole situation. "W-What?" was all she could manage to say.

"I love you, Manon. I miss you baby. Why aren't you with me right now?" Alain's words were starting to sound more upset. "Do you not like me anymore? Manon, I'm sorry for everything I did back then. Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me, Manon."

"Alain, just . . . Where are you?" She asked again, taking a deep breath. He was obviously drunk, and she knew he didn't have any friends. She needed to find him, needed to get him home safe.

"Manon, please don't hate me. Please . . ." He droned on, ignoring her question. He started to sound like he was panicking.

Already out of bed, Manon grabbed her shoes and threw on a coat over her pajamas. "It's fine, Alain. I don't hate you. Now tell me where you are. I'm coming to get you."

Alain was quiet for a moment. She waited patiently, praying he would tell her where he was. She would have to search the entire city for him. Finally, his voice brushed against her ear. "I'm near Lumiose Tower. I miss you. I miss you so much, Manon."

"It's okay, Alain." Manon said, locking her house up with her keys. She sprinted down the streets of Lumiose, huffing as the cold air made her lungs sting. She kept her phone up to her ear, even though neither of them was talking anymore. She only let it fall to her side as she came to a stop in front of the glowing tower. Its lights were like stars that were close enough to the ground to touch, and just beneath them was Alain, sitting hunched over on the ground beside the giant building. He was all alone, curled up and probably freezing.

Manon sighed, walking up to him quietly and slipping off her coat. She draped it over his shoulders, rubbing it to try to warm him while she coaxed him to stand up. He was crying now. "It's okay, Alain. I'm here now. It's okay."

"I'm s-sorry, Manon . . ." Alain stuttered, his eyes glassy.

"It's okay. Let's go home, Alain." She said, wrapping an arm around his waist and leading him in the direction of her house. She wouldn't let him be alone tonight.


	7. Thank You!

The forest was gently lit by dappled rays of sunlight as Alain ran a brush against Charizard's scales. The lizard growled contently as Alain found an especially itchy spot, and the trainer merely chuckled and went over it again, earning what almost sounded like a purr from the giant, fire breathing dragon. Everything was quiet and calm, until . . .

 ** _"ALAIN!"_**

The young teen almost dropped his brush as his name pierced through the trees, and probably a few towns too. He shook his head, grumbling to himself as the small redhead he knew so well scrambled up to him. She looked rather flustered, and she was out of breath like she had been running all over the place. "You don't have to yell, Manon. I'm right here. What is it?" He asked her, trying to keep his composure relatively calm. He had an idea of what was going on, but he couldn't let her know.

"Alain, I can't find my hat! I've look everywhere!" Manon pouted and ran her hands through her hair as if to emphasize that her prized hat was missing.

"And?"

The girl groaned exaggeratedly, slapping her hands on her hips. "And I want to know if you've seen it. Seriously, Alain? Do I have to spell everything out for you? Sometimes I wonder how you survived without my help."

"I'm sure I would be a goner without you . . ." Alain retorted, slightly annoyed but not letting it get to him. "And no, I don't know where your hat could be. Have you checked your tent?"

"I'm not stupid. That's the first place I checked." She gritted her teeth, pacing now. He was starting to feel a bit guilty.

"Check again."

"But-"

"Just trust me. Check again." He assured her and waved his hand towards the green tent a few paces away, just at the edge of their campsite. Manon huffed and stomped away, disappearing into her tent. Alain waited, counting the seconds in his head.

 _3 . . ._

 _2 . . ._

 _1 . . ._

 ** _"Alain! Alain, thank you!"_**

Charizard and Alain exchanged a knowing look as Manon burst from her tent. She threw herself at Alain, squeezing him the tightest hug she could muster, her hat snug on her head. Backing away, she slipped her hat off and showed Alain the glimmering, rainbow stone pinned to the front. She knew that he had put it there, but still felt she needed to show it to him. "Alain, is it really okay for me to have this?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Alain nodded to her, a gentle smile warming his face. "I'm sure. You've been helping me and Sycamore study mega evolution for years now. It's about time for you to have a keystone of your own. I put it on your hat because it's the one thing I know you would never lose. That's why I had to take it without telling you. I'm sorry."

"Oh, Alain . . . I love it. Thank you!" She pulled him into another hug and he breathed in the scent of her hair. She always found a way to make him smile, and he was glad he had managed to make her happy too. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice when she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You're amazing, Alain!"

"Y-You still have to find your own megastone though. And you need to find a partner that can mega evolve. You've got a lot of work to do yet . . ." He averted his gaze, hoping to hide the blush covering his cheeks. "I know you'll be fine though."

Manon nodded excitedly, looking forward to jumping right into the next step of her own adventure. She clapped her hands together and jumped from one foot to he other, unable to contain her exhilaration. "I'm going to mega evolve!"

"It's not you who mega evolves, it's y-"

"Shut up, Alain!"

 **A/N: I've actually had this little idea in my head for over a year now**


	8. Why Didn't You Tell Me?

Alain's eyes skimmed across one of the many journals that he had been reviewing for his meeting with Sycamore the next morning. Books were scattered all around him on the bed, each one filled with endless notes on battles and mega evolution. The steady sound of running water played in the background, though he hardly noticed.

Manon and Alain had stopped at a hotel in Santalune after a long trek through the forest. They had been attacked by a horde of Zubat while finding their way through, but luckily escaped unharmed. Exhausted, Alain agreed to spend the night at a hotel, as Lumiose was a quick trek away from Santalune.

When the shower suddenly stopped, Alain raised his head. A few shuffles came from the bathroom before Manon emerged, her hair dripping wet and a loose nightgown draped over her shoulders. Alain was about to comment on the strangely feminine attire, when he noticed something was off. Manon was breathing rather slowly, and her eyes seemed tired and unfocused. With wobbling legs, she made her way towards her bed, but stumbled after only two steps. Alain was on his feet in seconds, catching her just before she collapsed onto the ground. He pulled her against him, rubbing her trembling back.

"Manon, what happened?" He asked, holding her close. Heat pulsed from her body, causing him to flinch. He quickly carried her to her bed and sat beside her, panic rushing through him. "Manon, are you sick? Are you hurting? Please, I need you to tell me!"

"A-Alain . . ." Manon whimpered, clutching the mattress tightly with her fingers. She shifted, twisting in pain. Her chest shuddered as she panted, her face red and sweaty.

"What's wrong, Manon?" He urged again, gently this time. His hand rested on her cheek and she opened her eyes slightly.

"M-my . . . leg . . . " Her words were bathed in agony and she swallowed a moan as another wave of pain overtook her. She wanted to vomit, but she could hardly move.

Alain nodded and pushed her nightgown up to her knees. Horror shot through him when his eyes fell on a bitemark on her left leg. Her skin was an ugly purple around the infected area. The bitemarks were small, like two little fangs had snuck into her leg. It took him less than two seconds to know where they had come from.

 _The Zubat we fought earlier . . ._

Manon sucked in a pained breath, and though she did it quietly, the noise dug deep into Alain's gut. He struggled to keep his temper in check. Worry for her was beginning to eat him alive from the inside. How could she be so stupid?

"Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you tell me sooner?! It didn't have to get this bad, Manon! What were you thinking?!" His voice grew and grew, until it was a yell. Manon flinched under him, desperately avoiding his blazing eyes.

"I just . . . I d-didn't want to bug you . . ." Tears crawled down her face, and Alain doubted it was just because of the pain she was in. "I'm sorry, Alain . . ."

Shaking his head, Alain left the bedside and grabbed his pack. He rummaged through it before pulling out a Pecha Berry, a wooden bowl, and a spoon. It didn't take him too long to crush the berry into a thick pulp, and once he finished he brought the small bowl over to where Manon was. The tiny girl looked like she was about to fall asleep. Though in their current situation that was probably very bad.

"Manon, try and stay awake. I don't want you sleeping until I've treated the poison." Alain told her as he scooped some of the pulp with his fingers. The substance was warm, but against her feverish skin it could have been mistaken for ice. She flinched as he rubbed it over the bite wound, but relaxed as the pain began to ease and dissipate. After just a few minutes the purple colouring of her flesh faded. All that was left was an angry red caused from the irritation.

"Thank you, Alain . . ." Manon whispered, her eyes heavy.

Alain wiped his forehead and set the medicine to the side. "It's fine." He muttered, still annoyed that she hadn't told him before it had left her immobilized and sick. "If anything like this ever happens again, I want you to tell me right away. Got it?"

Manon nodded, but he didn't accept that as her response. Sighing, she smiled at him and said, "Okay. I promise. I'll tell you right away if anything ever happens."

"Good." Alain got up and flicked the lights off. Both were beyond ready for a good rest. "I'm glad that you're okay, Manon. I'm really glad."

 **A/N - Okay, I know I need to be more original. But hey, at least it's more marissonshipping? I promise I'll stop writing about Manon getting sick. Eventually. Maybe.**


	9. Things Could Have Been Worse

Alain stormed through Lumiose City trying to find Manon. She had disappeared from his side almost an hour ago, swept away by the bustling crowd. There was only one place he hadn't checked and the thought of her being there made his stomach sick. Still, he headed into the bar. A few roughnecks turned to stare at him, but he kept walking.

It didn't take long for him to spot Manon's bright green cap across the room. He picked up his pace and hurried to her side. She was sitting beside a rather muscular man with an expectant grin on his face that sent shivers rolling down Alain's spine. Manon, however, didn't seem to notice. She was too trusting for her own good, even after the incident with Lysandre and team Flare.

"Manon, we're leaving." Alain demanded, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him with glassy eyes that caught him by surprise. She was slouching tiredly on her stool with a half emptied glass in front of her, her fingers curled loosely around the stem.

The man beside her glared at Alain menacingly, looking as if he was about to start a fight. "Hey man, go find another bitch. This one is taken." He snarled, moving closer to Manon.

"Excuse me?" Alain's cold voice seemed to slice through the chatter of the bar. The man withdrew for a moment, debating if Manon was worth it or not. Alain's sharp gaze flickered back to Manon. He grabbed her arm and tried to pull her, but she stumbled when her feet touched the wooden floor and fell hard against Alain's chest, breathing heavily.

"A-Alain . . . I d-don't feel good . . ." She panted, fingers gripping his jacket tightly to keep herself upright.

Panic shot through him and he held her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Manon, how much did you drink?"

"O-only half a glass . . ." She said, voice drifting.

 _Half a glass wouldn't do this . . ._ He turned to question the man beside them, but he was long gone. _He must have drugged her drink. The bastard!_

"Alain . . . Can we g-go home?" Manon droned, letting all of her weight fall onto Alain. Her eyes fluttered as she fought to stay awake. Her breaths were hot against his skin.

"Hold on, Manon. I'm going to get us back to the Pokemon Center so you can rest." Alain replied as he hoisted her into his arms and carried her out of the rowdy building.

* * *

Their room was small, and it only had one bed, but it was better than nothing. Alain rested Manon on the bed before he had even kicked off his boots. She was slick with sweat and her breaths were heavy. She hadn't said anything the entire way back and he was getting more worried. He felt her head, surprised by the heat radiating from her skin. She stirred at his touch, eyes dark and sluggish.

"A-Alain . . . D-dizzy . . ." Her words were slurred and she tried to reach out to hold his hand, but she couldn't find it.

Alain frowned and gently took her searching hand in his. "It's okay, Manon. Just try and rest. You'll feel better if you sleep."

"It's t-too hot, Alain . . ." Manon moaned, rolling over on the bed. She blindly tried to shove the covers away, but her feet became tangled in the mounds. "I feel s-sick . . ."

"Should I get you some water?"

"I need to go to the bathroom . . ."

Alain felt heat creep into his cheeks, but he took Manon's hand and guided her to the washroom. She collapsed by the toilet and grasped the rim with her hands, vomiting into the bowl. Alain quickly gathered her loose hair and held it behind her, rubbing her back gently.

"I'm sorry, Alain . . . I got l-lost . . ." Manon choked out, her stomach empty and hurting. "They said they would h-help me find you . . ." Her arms shook as she held herself up against the toilet. "I messed up. I'm sorry . . ."

Alain shook his head, holding her close. "It's alright, just take it easy. Things could have been worse. I'm just glad that you're safe." He sighed, running his hands through her hair. "You're getting older now though. You should have known not to trust those guys. What were you thinking?"

"I just . . ." She stopped for a second, her throat raw and sore. She coughed into her sleeve and sunk deeper against Alain as he tired arms protested against her own weight. "I panicked when I couldn't find you. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"It's fine, let's just forget it." Alain mumbled, pulling the small girl to her feet. "You need to rest. You'll feel better in the morning." He led Manon to her bed and helped her get comfortable before going back to flush the toilet. The stench of vomit would probably linger until morning, and well into the next day.

 _Things could have been worse . . ._


	10. The Strong One

He ran his hands through his hair, gripping at his scalp so that his nails left scratch marks on the soft skin under his hair. There was a light shuffling from the bed beside him. Chespie had rolled over beside Manon, the small Pokémon chirred softly in his sleep. Manon muttered something softly under her breath to her Pokémon, but her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow enough that Alain could tell she wasn't awake. It was well past 2am.

Every tiny sound sent his heart thumping in his chest, even just the wind brushing against the walls of the Pokémon Center, or the quiet murmur of wild Pokémon outside. Sweat dripped down his arms, yet his bones shivered with an ice-cold chill. His eyes darted back to Manon. She looked so peaceful, limbs thrown across her sheets wildly, as always. He couldn't help but be a bit jealous that she was asleep and he was not.

 _That's my own fault though …_

He looked back to the small table beside his bed, and to the tiny container of pills staring back at him. He was meant to take them to help him sleep. He was meant to, but he didn't. Manon had the same pills, and she took them every night. They had been prescribed to the two trainers after the disaster with Team Flare was resolved. Both Alain and Manon had been left feeling anxious and uneasy. Sycamore had quickly noticed the bags forming under both their eyes and had brought them to a doctor, who had in turn given them each a small container of sleeping pills. Manon of course was given a lower dose.

Looking at the sleeping girl now, Alain knew that they were helping her. Still, he hadn't taken his. He didn't want to rely on them. He was meant to be the strong one, wasn't he? Getting more and more frustrated, the older teen growled and shoved his pillow from his bed. It fell to the floor with a light _thud_. The noise was enough to get Chespie to stir, and Manon woke up soon after, rubbing her bleary eyes.

"Alain, what are you doing awake? Haven't you slept?" She said as she stretched and yawned. When she didn't receive an answer, she slipped out of bed and climbed up onto Alain's, sitting in front of him. "Alain, you need to take the sleeping pills. They'll help you. That's what they're for."

Alain shook his head, not wanting to listen to the girl in front of him. "I don't need them. It's fine."

"It's not fine!" Manon barked back, disapproval coating her voice. She leaned forward on her arms, her nose almost touching his. "Alain, why aren't you taking them? I am, and I've been sleeping a lot better."

 ** _"But I'm supposed to be the strong one!"_**

The words came out louder than Alain had intended. He regretted them the moment he saw Manon seize up in front of him. She was still recovering from everything, still easily frightened. He reached out to reassure her, but she took his hand before he could, clasping it in hers.

"You don't have to be the strong one all the time, Alain. Sometimes it's okay to have a weakness."

"But how will I protect you, and everyone else, if I can't even sleep without pills to help me?" Alain asked, his blue eyes were dark and glued to the sheets of the bed. He squeezed Manon's fingers with his own, shivering. "I just want to be able to keep you safe."

Instead of the scolding he expected, Manon chuckled softly in response. When he looked up at her there was a warmth in her hazel eyes that he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Alain, I don't need you to always be protecting me. You've already done more than enough. But honestly, how are you going to be at your best if you're running on no sleep? Just take the damn pills and get some rest." That said, Manon crawled under the covers beside him and curled up against his side, eyes sliding shut as her hand rested on his chest. "If you want me to be happy, then you'd better start taking care of yourself …" she murmured, voice already fading.

Alain shrugged helplessly, looking back to the pills on the table. He reached for them cautiously, as if they would bite him. With the cap unscrewed, he let one drop into his palm. It was small, hardly the size of his fingernail. With a deep breath, he swallowed the medicine and relaxed onto the bed, wrapping his own arm over Manon's as he waited for his mind to quiet down. It didn't take long for sleep to take him.


	11. Talk to Me

Everything felt heavy, it was all too much. He turned again, holding his pillow closer to his head. The scent of the lavender on his sheets only seemed to drag the night out more. From beyond his bedroom door he could hear the steady snores of Sycamore, fast asleep in his room just across the hall. Though the sound of his teacher's presence calmed his nerves, it wasn't enough to ease him into sleep. Sighing, Alain pushed off the covers and sat up. He was going to reach for a book, but a soft _creak_ from his door made him jump.

"Alain, are you still up?" Manon whispered under her breath, sneaking into his room on quiet feet. She bit her cheek when she noticed him sitting up. With a shake of her head, she closed the door and padded over to his bed. Alain was going to ask what she wanted, but shut his mouth when she pulled herself up onto his sheets without waiting for permission. "Get some sleep, Alain."

"What are you doing? You have your own bed now, we don't have to share like we did while travelling." He grumbled, shoving down the warmth that flickered in his gut whenever the redhead was around. "Why are you here anyways? It's late and you should be asleep."

Manon ignored his questions. Instead, she urged him to lay back down as she pulled the covers back over his shoulders before turning away from him. "You haven't been yourself lately. I've been worried about you . . ." Her voice was almost inaudible, even in the silence of the room. "Sycamore says you haven't even been talking to Charizard anymore."

"I'm fine, Manon. You don't have to-"

"You haven't been talking to me either."

This made him pause. Had he stopped talking to her? He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him, the bed groaning as the two trainers shifted uncomfortably.

"Manon, I'm sorry I haven't been communicating with you or the professor. I just haven't felt like myself lately." Alain confessed. He noticed she was about to speak up herself, but cut her off before she had the chance. "And before you ask, no, I don't know why I've been feeling this way. I think it might just be that this time of the year gets to me . . ."

This time of year, the time that Lysandre had taken control of Zygarde and attempted to destroy the entire world, sending Lumiose into a state of chaos. His gut twisted at the memory. He clamped his eyes shut to cut off the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him.

 _I failed everyone . . . I hadn't been strong enough. How could I failed to notice Lysandre's true intentions when he was right in front of me? Why didn't I see it sooner?_

"Alain, stop." Manon spoke, her words breaking through the storm of thoughts clouding his mind. He raised his head only to be surprised by her bright, hazel eyes practically digging into him. "That was a long time ago, it wasn't your fault. Nobody is upset with you except yourself."

"It's not that simple-"

"I understand that. I'm still getting over it too, but that's why I'm glad that I have you. Especially right now . . . Please, don't shut everyone out when you need them the most. And if you don't want to talk to Sycamore, at least talk to me . . ."

Manon's words warmed the cold that had gripped Alain for the last few weeks. He let a smile show on his face as he nodded to her. "Thank you, Manon. I'll try to talk to you from now on. I'm sorry for pushing you away."

"It's fine, but I'm not leaving you tonight." She puffed out her cheeks in defiance and yank the covers over her own shoulders, giving him a quick glare that almost dared him to try to kick her out. "Goodnight, Alain. Let's have a good day tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Manon. Thank you for everything. Sleep well."

Without another word, Alain let his eyes close. He could feel Manon's small form beside him, filling him with a familiar sense of security and comfort that pulled him into sleep in only a few minutes. The two trainers slept peacefully, inching closer and closer to the other as the night went on. By morning they were in each other's arms, both satisfied and happier than they had been for a long while.


	12. A Great Teacher

"Alain, are you almost done yet? I want to go look for some more Pokémon!" Manon whined, latching onto the back of Alain's office chair. She pouted when he shook his head and let out a loud huff, her hands finding her hips. "Seriously? You've been studying for an hour!"

"And I plan on studying for a few more." Alain retorted. He turned to face her, eyes tired. She had been nagging him for twenty minutes. "Manon, have you ever considered doing some of your own studying?"

"Why would I need to study when I can experience the real deal? Besides, I've got Chespie by my side! He's the strongest partner in all of Kalos!" She puffed out her chest, and if her Chespin had been out at that moment, it would have done the same. "I don't need a dumb book to tell me how to be a strong trainer. As long as I have my Pokémon and we're determined, we'll be fine!"

"You should learn how to read a map too. The last time I let you handle it we went in the opposite direction from where we were supposed to go." Alain said, ignoring her positive outburst. He picked up his pencil again, but quickly noticed something was off. His gaze shifted back to Manon, and he noticed her shoulders had stiffened. "You okay?"

Manon bit her lip and nodded quickly, her eyes carrying a heavy look that the older boy had never seen from her. Seconds later she seemed to be back to normal, prying at his shoulders again. He groaned and set his own book down before walking over to where they had dropped off their bags in the hotel room.

Manon watched him as he rummaged through his pack and noticeably slouched when he stood up with a different book in his hand. "Are you just gonna read all night, Alain?" She asked as he walked back towards her.

"No, you're going to read. Right now." Alain shoved the book against her gut, making her wince.

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

Sighing, Manon sat on her bed and laid the book on her lap. It was titled _"The Beginner's Guide to Grass Types"_ and while that did snag her interest, she was quickly deterred when she opened it to find her eyes already struggling to make sense of the countless words and sentences berating her brain.

Alain, who had retreated back to his desk, watched her changing expressions with peaking curiosity. He leaned back in his chair as she flipped the page and chewed on her cheek. Her eyes were narrowed and her forehead creased as she moved her finger along the page with evident frustration. "Do you like it?" He asked, unsure if she was angry with the book, or devouring its contents.

"I do . . ." Manon murmured, her voice wavering delicately.

"Read me a sentence."

The younger girl flinched immediately. Her eyes snapped up so that she stared at him with huge, hazel orbs. "W-Why would you want me to do that?"

"I want to know that you're actually reading it." Alain stated, obviously growing tired of her reluctance.

Manon gulped and looked back down at the page. "Fine . . ." She put her finger back on the page and started to read. "Grass types are often one of the ty-no- first types of Pokémon a trainer catche- will catch." She stopped, squinting again. "This is because they have many differ-mm-weaknesses compared to other types." After only two sentences, she stopped. She could already feel Alain's confused gaze burning into her. Frustrated, she slammed the book onto the sheets beside her and brought her knees up to her chest, burying her head in them so that her face was hidden. "Whatever. Books are stupid anyways."

"Manon . . . Can you not read?" Alain's asked gently as he pushed all of his studying aside and went to sit beside the redhead.

"I'd be able to read fine if the stupid words didn't move around all the time! I don't see why you think books are so great! They're dumb and I ** _hate_** them!" Manon yelled, glowering at him as tears threatened to pour from her eyes. She tried to take a deep breath, but it did nothing to stop the surge of overwhelming emotions crashing through her. "I hate it when people make me read! I don't understand why it's so easy for you!"

Alain wasn't sure how to respond. He reached over to the book that Manon had abused and opened it, looking at the page that she had struggled to read aloud. The words were perfectly clear to him. "Do you . . . Do you have Dyslexia?

The room spiraled into silence as Manon curled herself up tighter, sinking deeper and deeper into herself. Her parents hadn't understood. Whenever she struggled they pushed her harder, and when she kept failing they only got tougher on her in hopes that they could force the disability out of her brain somehow. It hadn't worked.

"Do you want me to try and help?" Alain urged her again when she didn't answer, his voice soft.

"You can't, Alain. You can't fix me."

"I don't need to fix you. There's no reason to." He sighed, pulling her closer. He wasn't used to physically comforting someone, but he had been with Manon for long enough to know that it was what she responded to best. "I'm sorry, I should have noticed sooner. I can give you some tips to make reading easier if you want. We'll take things at your pace."

Not knowing how to respond, Manon tightened her grip on his shirt and nodded, pressing her face against him so that he couldn't see the tears creeping down her cheeks. She had never let anyone see this side of her. She had shoved the feelings down so that she could start fresh, but they always lingered inside.

"How about we go on that walk now? I bet there are some interesting Pokémon out at night." Alain smiled, pulling away so he could see Manon's face. She sniffled slightly and quickly nodded her head.

"Thank you, Alain." She grinned, facing him with a hesitant smile. "I know that you'll be a great teacher."


	13. Protecting One Another

_This was written for the second day of marissonshipping week_

Manon's dull footsteps echoed against the walls of the living room as she paced on the hardwood floor. Pooch, her loyal but lazy Mightyena, dozed silently in the corner, as he had been doing all day. Despite being nearly asleep, he kept one of his ears perked in her direction. Chespie, who Manon had finally evolved into a Chesnaught after years of keeping him at his first stage, and Bébé, her newly evolved Florges, were both resting in their Pokéballs after some intense battle training that morning. Wallace and Steven watched the fretting girl from the couch.

"Manon, darling. I'm sure Alain is fine." Wallace assured her. He smiled softly and waved his hand for her to sit, but she didn't.

Manon and Alain had returned to Steven and Wallace's house in the Hoenn region for a small vacation from their responsibilities back in Kalos. The two men had of course welcomed them back with open arms. Steven assured Alain it would be no trouble, and that it would be just like when the two had stayed after needing a break from all the chaos they had dealt with in Kalos.

"But he's been out for hours. The weather is getting bad, and he doesn't have any of his Pokémon with him!" Manon raised her voice. She threw her arms out and turned to face the two men with wide eyes. "He should be back by now!" Pooch raised his head at the sound of his trainer's panic and quickly scampered over to her side, earning a mechanical head pat from the distracted redhead. "He promised me he would return before it got dark. Alain doesn't take his promises lightly."

"It's possible that Alain simply got caught up in his research. It wouldn't be unlike him." Steven sighed, putting his finger to his lip. The Steel-type user did have a look of growing concern, but it was nothing compared to Manon's panicked state. "I'm sure he just doesn't realize how long he's been gone."

"You're wrong!" Manon snapped, shocking the two adults. Her hazel eyes blazed fiercely as she spun on her heels and rushed out of the room with Pooch in her shadow. The sound of the front door slamming followed shortly after. Then there was nothing but silence in the room. Until, of course, Wallace spoke up.

"Those two never change . . ." He sighed. Gracefully, he lifted himself from the couch and offered his lover one of his hands. "Shall I put on some tea, Steven dear?"

"Aren't you worried about them?" Steven questioned, taking Wallace's hand and following the slender man towards the open kitchen just across from the couch. "Or at least worried about Manon? She's out there alone. And she was right about the weather being bad."

"You underestimate her, Steven." Wallace chided, almost playfully. He poured some water into the blue kettle that Manon had bought for him, feeling Steven's silver eyes still locked on him. "Both Alain and Manon have grown much stronger since the last time they were here. They'll be fine, so let's enjoy some alone time until they get home. Alright?"

Steven couldn't argue with his confident partner, especially with the temptation of some of Wallace's fresh, loose-leaf tea. "Alright, Wallace. You win this time. But they had better make it home safely."

* * *

Rain sliced through the sky, coupled with relentless blasts of wind that almost knocked Manon off her feet. She hadn't even thought to grab her coat before sprinting out the door. Her throbbing, bare arms reminded her of this every second she remained outside.

 ** _"_** ** _Alain?!"_** Manon shouted as Pooch howled beside her, easily keeping pace with the frantic girl. The two raced across the open field that Steven and Wallace's house rested on, and clambered into the nearby forest. Branches scratched at Manon's arms as she forced her way into the trees. Pooch whined as his shaggy coat was snatched by twigs and bushes, but the dog didn't let that stop him from trailing Manon through the thistles.

"Alain, where are you?!" Manon's yelled into the trees. He had to be around. He always went into the woods to study the various herbs and Pokémon that lived there. Still, the only answer she received was the creaking of the trees in the wind. Her breaths grew heavier. Where was he? That was the first "what if" that entered her mind. They only grew worse after that. What if she couldn't find him? What if he was lost? What if he was hurt? What if he was dea-

 ** _"_** ** _ALAIN, PLEASE ANSWER ME!"_**

Her hands fell to her sides in defeat. Nothing but silence. Still, she was determined to find Alain somehow. It didn't matter if she's be out in the rain all night. Manon was about to head deeper into the trees, but a loud bark from Pooch made her freeze. He pawed at her impatiently when she simply stared at him, obviously waiting for something.

"What is it boy?" Manon bent down, running her hand over Pooch's ears. He barked again and brushed his nose against her pocket. He was gentle at first, but repeated the action with more force when she didn't understand. Hesitantly, Manon reached into her pocket and pulled out a black and blue bracelet. It belonged to Alain. He had taken it off that morning, not wanting it to get wrecked while he was out in the forest. She had almost laughed at how careful he was being with the gift she had made for him, but she didn't object to keeping the present safe.

After Manon had pulled out the bracelet, Pooch stuck his face up to it and sniffed it dutifully. A grin crawled across Manon's cheeks as she slowly realized what Pooch was doing. But there was one problem. The rain. It would have washed away almost, if not all of, Alain's scent by now. "Pooch, do you think you can find him?"

Pooch growled quietly at Manon's frown and lashed his tail, determined to find the older trainer if it would make his favourite human smile more. He raised his head and howled before dashing off, trusting Manon to follow in his steps as he had done for her.

The rain pelted down and stung both trainer and Pokémon, but it did nothing to stop the pair as they leapt over rotten stumps and crumbling boulder. Manon had slipped on some mud along the way, but Pooch had steadied her quickly, and they got right back to their mission. Pooch had only stopped once to check the scent again, and to Manon's relief, he hadn't lost Alain's trail.

"Alain! Alain, can you hear me?!" Manon called out again, her breaths short from all the running.

"Manon?!"

Her heart almost stopped. It was Alain! Pooch barked excitedly, running even faster. They found the boy quickly. Manon didn't waste any time in hurrying to his side. He was sitting against a rock, holding his knee in his hands tightly. Blood dribbled from a deep cut, but other than that and a few scraps, he seemed to be alright.

"Manon, what are you doing out here in this weather?" Alain scolded, ignoring his own injuries. "You're covered in scratches! And where is your coat?!"

"Don't you dare start lecturing me right now!" Manon huffed, puffing out her cheeks and slapping her hands onto her hips. Despite the cold, she was still as lively as ever. "You made me a promise! You promised me you would be back before dark!"

Alain opened his mouth to argue, but he was left with nothing to say. Instead, he avoided her gaze. "I'm sorry, you're right."

"You bet I am." Manon grumbled, still quite upset with him for making her worry so much. "You're lucky I had Pooch with me or I wouldn't have found you." She reached over to the mutt and gave him a quick scratch behind the ears. He let his tongue loll out immediately, his love for affection getting the better of him. "Alain, you had better thank him."

"No. He doesn't even like me."

"Alain. Thank. My. Dog."

The tone of Manon's words made Alain flinch. He had two very clear options at this point. Thank the mutt that made his life miserable whenever possible, or stay here and struggle to find a way home by himself. Still, there was no way in hell that he was going to thank the dog that had appeared in his life out of nowhere one day, only to try to bite his hand off upon their first greeting. He would rather take his chances in the woods.

"Manon, I'm not-" he was cut off by a loud yelp from Pooch.

Manon and Alain both turned to the Mightyena. His fur was standing on end and a snarl stretched across his face, revealing his sharp teeth. Manon wasted no time jumping to her feet and taking a battle stance beside her Pokémon. Something was approaching them. It sounded like hundreds of quick wingbeats rushing towards them. In seconds the horde of Pokémon revealed themselves. It was what Manon had expected, a horde of Zubat.

"Alain, just stay there. Pooch and I can handle this." Manon ordered, more than asked her hurt friend. She stuck out her arm as if to shield him, before commanding Pooch with her other hand. "Pooch, use Howl, and then follow it up with Crunch!"

The Mightyena was off in a second, a loud howl ripping from his throat before he threw himself into action. In seconds he had a Zubat in his jaws. The bat writhed frantically and shrieked to the other Zubat as it was flung to the dirt by the stronger Pokémon. Pooch landed on all fours and fell right back into a battle stance, watching all of the Zubat, knowing at least one of them would strike. He lashed his tail and his ears flicked back towards Manon so that she knew he was waiting for an order.

"You're doing amazing, Pooch! Now use Swagger to confuse all of them!" Manon directed as she made Alain wrap one of his arms around her shoulder. Once the Zubat were all confused, she had Pooch use Shadow Ball to create an opening in the horde for them to run through. It was tough with Alain hobbling on one foot, but they managed to escape without any added injuries.

* * *

"Hey, Pooch." Alain grunted, he was still leaning on Manon for support as they walked. They had finally made it out of the forest and were now approaching the house. The Mightyena looked back at him with a snort and a flick of his tail. Alain narrowed his eyes, but quickly swallowed his pride and sighed deeply. "Thank you."

Manon smiled at this, and her smile grew even brighter when Alain voluntarily reached out to pet the Pokémon's back. Pooch immediately yipped excitedly at the treatment. "I'm glad that you're alright, Alain. I was really scared." Manon admitted, glad that the stress she had felt was finally over with. Her stomach felt light again, and she was definitely ready for a long nap.


	14. Hug

**This was also a marissonshipping week prompt. I forgot to post it here, many apologies.**

"Alain, please!"

"I already said no, Manon! Begging to me isn't going to change anything." Alain kept his stern demeanor while the shorter girl stomped her foot and stuck out her tongue. He had been trying to finish writing some notes, but Manon was being more persistent than usual. "Why don't you go play with Chespie and stop bothering me while I'm studying?"

"Because if I don't bother you, you'll never let me try using the Key Stone and Mega Stone!" Manon huffed. She let out a dramatic whine and latched onto Alain's shoulders, letting most of her weight fall onto him, though it honestly did nothing for him considering her stature. "Please, Alain! I promise I'll let you read in peace if you let me try them! I just want to try them once!"

Alain swatted Manon's hands away, not even bothering to answer her pleas anymore. Realizing this, Manon chewed on her cheek in frustration and left the room in a fuss. She had been training with Alain at Sycamore's lab for a year now. Over that time she had learned a lot about Pokémon and Mega Evolution. She had always wanted to be able to use the special power herself, but even after all of her hard work, Alain refused to give her that privilege.

 _I've gotten so much stronger! I even evolved my Bulbasaur into a Venusaur! Sycamore owns a Venusaurite! I should be able to at least try to use it!_

Thinking quickly, Manon made her way towards Sycamore's office. He had gone out earlier that day to grab some groceries and Pokémon supplies and it would still be a while before he returned. Surely he wouldn't mind if she tried out the Mega Stone for an hour. He wouldn't even have to know. Besides, Sycamore wasn't as stingy as Mr. Gumpy Alain.

With a new fire burning brightly in her gut, Manon opened the door to Sycamore's office. _I'll show Alain exactly how strong I've gotten!_

* * *

Alain sighed as he set his pencil down. Piles of quickly scribbled notes ruled over his desk, leaving it looking like an eruption had taken place. It would take a while to properly sort through everything, but he didn't mind the task. It would give him a good opportunity to review everything he had written.

He had just finished clearing most of the sheets from his desk when a bright flash suddenly filled his room. It was gone a second later, and he assumed it had just been his imagination, but then a familiar rainbow light shone just outside his window. He was out of his chair in a moment, crashing through his room and almost throwing himself against the glass. He could see Manon out in the garden with her Venusaur, which she had painfully named Bulbie. She had her arm raised into the air, revealing a Key Stone in her hand.

 _Damn it, Manon! I told you that you aren't ready yet!_ Alain's mind raced as he sprinted out of his room and down the hallways of the lab. He almost tripped over his own feet while stumbling down the stairs. _You idiot! Why don't you ever listen to me?!_

* * *

"Alright, Bulbie, respond to my heart! Beyond evolution! **_Mega evolve!_** " Manon raised her voice, holding the pulsing Key Stone above her head as light exploded from her stone, and from the Venusaurite tied to the flower on Bulbie's back. Rainbow streaks shot out from both stones, entwining together and connecting the partners more than ever before.

Manon was taken aback by the intensity of the feelings. It was stronger than she had anticipated it would be. Even after watching Alain use Mega Evolution countless times, it hadn't prepared her for the bust of power she felt pulsing through her. She could feel Bublie's excitement, his anticipation. It was all being shared with her, taking over her. At first she had been fascinated, but now an anxious dread had started to seep through.

Manon took a step back, trying to put some distance between her and the Venusaur, hoping it would lessen the amount of emotions rolling through her body. The Key Stone in her hand didn't like this idea. At the attempt to put distance between her and her Pokémon, the light from the rainbow stone grew brighter and stronger, more eager. Manon grabbed her head, feeling the pressure of all the energy starting to pile up inside of her. Her knees rocked underneath her as she hunched over, shaking. Her fingers were curled tightly around the stone, but she couldn't bring herself to drop it.

She didn't know when she had started to cry, but somewhere beyond the rushing energy she could hear her own wails against her ears. Her breaths came in gulps as she tried to breath. She could tell that Bulbie was worried, but the worry from her Pokémon only added to her own terror.

 _Alain, Alain help! I'm scared!_

* * *

By the time Alain made it to the training ground outside, Manon was already surrounded by a storm of Mega Evolution energy. He could barely see the small girl in the center of it. The force of the swirling lights tried to force him away, pushing against him as he tried to approach.

"Manon, you need to calm down! I'm right here!" Alain yelled above the chaos, shielding his face with his arm. He had closed some of the distance between him and Manon, but the angry gusts were only getting worse. He could feel the energy pulsing angrily as it grew in power, probably because Manon was scared. No, she wasn't just scared. She was terrified.

Realizing this, Alain fought even harder, lunging through the wall of raw power so that he was with Manon. He grabbed her in his arms without thinking, pulling her closer than he ever had. She shook in his arms as he hugged her tightly. They both sunk to their knees in the center of the fray. Alain let one of his hands find hers. He could feel her fingers clasped around the Key Stone.

"Manon, it's okay now. Everything's fine. You can let go." He spoke softly and placed a small kiss on her head. She dropped the stone immediately, causing the storm around them to disperse into nothing. Moments passed before she dared to look up at Alain, tears dribbling down her face in messy streaks.

"I'm s-sorry, Alain . . ." She stuttered between wails. "I'm sorry, I'm so s-sorry!"

Alain shook his head and patted her hair, trying to calm her down. "It's okay. I'm just glad that you're okay." Though he didn't say it out loud, he knew that if something had happened to her while Sycamore was gone, he would never be able to forgive himself. He would be the only one to blame.

"So . . . We don't have to tell Mr. Sycamore about this, do we?" Manon asked, after she had finally managed to pull herself together again.

"I won't tell him. But if you ever do anything this stupid again I swear I won't ever let you anywhere near any Mega Stones again."

Manon bit her lip fearfully, but nodded her head. She wasn't going to let this experience stop her from wanting to become a Mega Evolution expert, but it had certainly made her realize that she did need to take Alain's advice a little more seriously.

"Don't worry Alain. I'm going to listen to you from now on." Though, unknown to him, in her head she added, _mostly._


	15. The First Halloween

Alain had just gotten home from a trip to the grocery store when a strange scent hit his nose. Biting his lip, he set the grocery bags onto the floor beside the door and walked farther into the lab. He had left Manon home after she had insisted on setting up "a few" decorations for Halloween. He didn't have the heart to tell her no. Holidays were something that she lived for. He almost shuddered as he remembered searching for the _perfect_ Christmas tree the previous year.

The smell was coming from the kitchen. Once he had gotten closer he could hear what sounded like dull scraping, and Chespie using his "be careful" voice. When he poked his head around the corner, he wasn't surprised to find Manon with a pumpkin in front of her and Its guts spread across the floor. Though she had put down a garbage bag to try to protect the tiles, it did little to protect them from the pumpkin innards littering the entire room. Manon looked up and smiled at him, a small piece of pumpkin stuck in her hair.

"I thought you were putting up decorations." Alain stated, trying to hold back a smile. "If I had known you were going to be carving pumpkins I wouldn't have left you alone. Who knows what you could do with those tools."

Manon pouted and waved the jagged knife in her hand before settling back to her work of art. "I have lots to do and I can't wait for you to have time to watch me like I'm a toddler. I'm an adult now and I can safely carve a simple pumpkin-" She was cut off when the knife slipped from her hand. Luckily, Chespie pulled her hand away as it dropped to the floor, saving her from a nasty cut.

"You were saying?" Alain laughed quietly and sunk to the floor beside her. His grin widened as she grumbled under her breath and passed him another pumpkin. It had already been hollowed out, but he still couldn't help but eye it with uncertainty. "Art isn't my thing, you know that."

"I know, but I want this to be _our_ Halloween . . ." Manon responded, her voice quiet and somewhat distant. When Alain turned to look at her, he noticed she seemed a bit withdrawn, which was a rare sight. "I've never gotten to really celebrate the holidays with family. It was fun when we did things with Sycamore, but it isn't the same . . ." She sucked in a breath, and Chespie jumped into her lap to comfort her. She immediately started to run her fingers against his quills, something she always did when she was nervous. "I know I sound selfish, and I really appreciate you and Sycamore letting me join in when you would celebrate, but now that we're married . . . I was hoping we could do all of this together."

Alain moved a bit closer, so that he could feel her knee brushing his, and he grabbed one of the various carving tools scattered between them. "I don't think that's selfish. I would never think you didn't appreciate the holidays we spent with Sycamore." Before he started cutting into his pumpkin, he placed a small kiss on Manon's forehead. "I would love to help you with decorating, even though I'm not very good at it. I'd do anything for the best wife in all of Kalos."

Manon's face lit up like a Pumpkaboo. Without a warning she grabbed Alain and forced him into a tight hug. "You're ridiculous." She spoke into his shirt, and he was pretty sure she was rubbing away her tears into it too. "But thank you, I really do love you so much."

After the much-needed hug, they went back to their disastrous pumpkin carving attempt. Alain had tried to carve a Charizard, but for reasons he couldn't comprehend, pieces of pumpkin would break, and he could not cut holes without the knife slipping and leaving huge gashes here and there. Manon's pumpkin looked much better, with scraped out sections to help add a glow to the Chespin she had carved. Alain really didn't know why he had been so worried, as he had broken and dropped more knife than she had.

Once Halloween had come, the lab was fully prepared. They had paper Woobats hanging from the ceiling, cobwebs attached to the walls and windows, and Manon had even gone to the trouble of finding some opaque glass paint and creating some spooky Pokemon art on the lab doors for children to look at as they passed. When she had told Alain she didn't want to hand out candy that year, he had been more than a little surprised.

"I want to spend time with you, just you." She said, trying to look him in the eyes. "I want us to spend this night together . . . and maybe we could . . . celebrate our own way? Upstairs in the bedroom?"

"If you're sure that's what you want to do I definitely have no problem with it." Alain replied, reaching out to hold her hand in his. "Is that how you want to spend our first Halloween together though? You don't want to hand out candy, or go walking around the town?"

"I told you already, Alain." Manon assured, her voice never sounding so sure. "I want to spend this night with you, nobody else." She didn't wait for him to answer her, before tugging on his hand and nodding to the direction of the stairs. A smile passed between them and they spent that holiday closer to each other than they had ever been before.


	16. Merry Christmas

The house was lit softly by the glow of Christmas lights coming from outside the window. Alain and Manon had settled into their bed a while ago with Pooch, their Mightyena, curled up on the covers between them. Though the Pokemon was snoring happily, Manon was far from asleep. Alain grumbled as his wife shifted for what must have been the hundredth time in the last minute. She was a living bundle of excitement on Christmas Even night.

"Christmas will come sooner if you sleep." Alain said, his voice muffled by the sheets. Manon looked towards him and shuffled closer, wrapping her hands around him.

"But I get to enjoy the holiday season longer if I stay up." She countered smugly, trying to hide her giggles by burying her head into his shirt.

"I'll be happier if you go to sleep, and I'll be less grumpy on Christmas morning." That caught her attention. She raised her head and stared at him with wide eyes as he finished with, "I might be grumpy enough to throw away your present if I don't sleep soon." Of course, it wasn't true, but he WAS very tired . . .

"Oh my Arceus, you would never!" Manon retorted, pushing herself even closer to him. Despite her argument, she pulled the covers tighter around her and seemed to settle down, closing her eyes. Alain couldn't help but smile as he rested his head over hers and let his hands get lost in her messy hair.

"What DID you get me?" Manon whispered after a few minutes had past. Her voice had already grown lazy and slow as sleep steadily crept over them.

"Tomorrow . . ." Was all Alain said.

Nothing more was necessary.

* * *

Alain was the first one to wake up, and it wasn't surprising to him in the least. It was something that had become routine. Manon would work herself up the night before any holiday to the point where she tired herself out so much she slept in. Her hair was splayed out all over the place, and Pooch had rolled over so that his head was on her stomach, his tongue lolling out onto her nightshirt and his ears twitching while he snored. They both snored . . .

Keeping most of the lights off, Alain crept downstairs to the living room. It hadn't been long since they had finally moved out of Sycamore's lab. They had spent the first few years of their marriage there until Sycamore had told them that they should consider getting a place of their own. Alain knew it wasn't because the professor wanted them gone, at least that wasn't the main reason. It was because it was something they deserved. They still lived in Lumious, renting an apartment a few streets away from Sycamore's lab. It was the best they could afford until Alain could make the money he needed to start his own lab.

Flicking on the light in the kitchen, Alain quietly paced towards the fridge and pulled out the milk. He poured it into a glass and threw some bread into the toaster until it popped out and he could butter it. Setting the breakfast onto a small tray, he made his way back to the stairs, only stopping momentarily to look at the living room. The Christmas tree was blinking with an array of colourful lights. Sparkling strands of garland danced around the branches, and glittering bits of tinsel almost drowned the entire tree. The tinsel was of course Manon's doing. She had bought at least three boxes of the stuff and while he had been out she had taken it upon herself to throw it all onto the tree. She must have done most of it before Chespie, now a fully evolved Chesnaught, had discovered her plan, because the bottom half of the tree was significantly worse off than the top.

Once back in the bedroom, he set the breakfast tray onto the empty side of the bed and rested his hand on Manon's shoulder, shaking her lightly. She mumbled something under her breath and rolled over, enveloping Pooch's snout in a tight hug.

Alain sighed and leaned down, brushing strands of red hair away from his wife's ear. "Manon, it's Christmas." He whispered the words, but it was more than enough. Her eyes snapped open and she bolted upright, almost knocking Pooch of the bed. The Mightyena howled in surprise at the sudden movement and jumped to his feet, pacing around on top of the covers as Manon grabbed Alain and yanked him into a giant, bone crushing hug.

"I SLEPT IN, I'M SORRY!" Manon almost threw herself out of the bed but Alain stopped her, placing his hands on her shoulders. She bit her lip, looking up at him with wide and curious eyes. "What is it?"

"I brought you breakfast." He motioned towards the tray. "We can't open presents without eating first, and since I woke up before you I thought I'd bring you breakfast in bed." His cheeks glowed softly and he found himself looking towards the sheets. "It's nothing special, just some toast and milk . . ."

Alain looked up again, greeted by the frightful sight of his wife shoving a slice of toast into her mouth and devouring it in only a few bites before chugging half the glass of milk. Manon tossed the crust to Pooch, who caught it before it had a chance to fall onto the covers.

"I guess I made the right decision?" Alain asked as Manon finished the last of the toast. He couldn't help but grin as she stretched her arms above her head and nodded to him, immediately collapsing onto Pooch and trapping him in one of her hugs.

"Do you really have to ask?" Manon replied, resting her head on Pooch. "You know I hate cold mornings . . ." Letting go of Pooch she pressed herself against Alain, letting her cheek brush against his shirt. "Thank you, I really appreciate it. I'll have to wake up early to make something special for you next year."

Alain immediately felt himself shiver at the thought. "Maybe not . . . I don't know if I'd trust you in the kitchen before I'm awake." Manon shot a grumpy frown at him, but didn't argue. There was no way she could. The last time Alain had let her try to cook by herself she had set the kitchen on fire. Luckily for the both of them her Chesnaught had been around to get her out of their tiny apartment before she could get hurt. She had ended up with a sore throat and nose for a few days, and complained about everything tasting and smelling like ash.

Pooch slid off the bed first and hurried eagerly towards the bedroom door, swaying on his paws in excitement as he waited for Manon and Alain to follow him. Manon let out a snort of amusement and pushed herself off the bed, yanking Alain's arm so that he was pulled along with her. The small family raced down the stairs to the living room. Pooch immediately snagged a small, bright green parcel that was sitting under the tree.

"Pooch, you have to wait for everyone to be ready before you open that." Manon warned, seeing the Mightyena preparing to dig his fangs into the shiny wrapping paper. Pooch whined back at her, but she didn't give in. "You have to wait for Chespie and Charizard, and me and Alain too." She narrowed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks when she noticed Pooch grumbling and scratching at the old carpet.

"I don't think he's gonna last much longer, so how about we get started?" Alain smiled warmly at Manon, holding out a pokéball. Charizard was released immediately, and Manon swiftly let Chespie out of his Pokéball as well. The Chesnaught let out a cry of joy and scooped Manon up, hauling her over his shoulder. It was a new habit he had picked up after reaching his final stage . . . He didn't trust Manon to walk on her clumsy feet and this had apparently been the solution.

"C-Chespie, let me down!" She drummed her small hands against the Chesnaught's hard shell but didn't get any response. "It's not fair, why don't my Pokémon listen to me?"

"Because they love you too much." Alain replied softly as Charizard grunted in amusement and rested her head in his lap, sprawling out on the floor. With both Charizard and Chespie out the room at gotten a little bit cramped, but nobody minded at all. This was a time about family, so leaving anyone out wasn't an option.

Chespie settled himself onto the floor just beside Alain. The massive Pokemon slid his arms under Manon and lowered her from his shoulder to his lap. She huffed at him with, what Alain assumed was supposed to be annoyance, and then soon settled against his stomach with a smile that said nothing except pure satisfaction.

"Okay," Alain sighed, nodding towards the tree. "Pooch, would you like to grab the gifts for everyone?"

Pooch didn't wait another moment. The Mightyena bounded towards the tree and grabbed two presents by the ribbons that draped over the sides. He tugged them towards Manon and Alain, pushing the shiny green box towards Manon, and the blue one towards Alain. With one last run to the tree, he grabbed the last small parcel and tossed it towards Chespie. The Chesnaught caught it easily in his claws and let out a grumble of thanks as Pooch settled back down with his own gift.

"I say the Pokemon open their presents first." Manon stated, tilting her head back dramatically to stare at Chespie. "I think the present I got this year will be the best one yet!" A massive grin flooded her face and Chespie eagerly ripped into his gift. "I hope you like it Chespie."

Chespie had the gift unwrapped before Manon could finish. He ran a claw through the tap keeping the now bare box closed, then tossed the top away. Manon hugged her starter tightly as he lifted a large, orange scarf from the box.

"I made it just for you Chespie. Alain helped me find some knitting books and we worked on it together for days!" Manon jumped up from Chespie's lap and took the scarf into her own hands. Rising onto her toes, she wrapped it loosely around Chespie's neck. "I knew the colour would look great on you, and we match now!"

Pooch didn't wait a moment longer before tearing into his own present. The wrapping was shredded as it scattered across the floor. Unlike Chespie, Pooch ripped the box clean apart. The tape didn't stand a chance as his fangs pierced the cardboard. The Mightyenna yipped loudly when he found the green collar buried in the box.

"I've never seen a gift box destroyed so quickly . . ." Alain muttered as Pooch rushed over to Manon and dropped the collar in her lap. Once it was around his neck he plopped down at Manon's side, his head in her lap and his paws draping over Chespie's legs. "I suppose I need to give Charizard her gift now-" Alain was cut off by the giant fire type when she shoved her face against his cheek merrily.

"She's super excited. You better have gotten her an awesome gift, Alain." Manon teased, running her fingers across Pooch's fur. Alain waved away her taunt as Charizard curled her tail around her present. She pulled the gift into her claws and snagged the ribbon in her teeth. She tore it away and flung the lid off the box.

Charizard went still as she noticed what was in her box. A pair of cheesy Christmas antlers . . . Alain smiled at her reaction and grabbed the antlers with his hand before placing them atop her head. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he shrugged it off. "Don't give me that look, I wanted to give you something for battles, but Sycamore insisted the antlers would be better."

"Open your gift Alain!" Manon yelled as she wriggled in Chespie's lap, a grin as wide as the sky spread across her face. Alain, unlike Charizard and Pooch, carefully unwrapped the parcel in his lap. Manon struggled to retain a loud sigh as he pulled the wrapping paper off. The process went by so slowly that it made her lungs hurt. Once she saw his eyes light up, she rushed towards him and flung her arms around his neck. The impact sent both of them collapsing onto the floor. In his hand he held a small necklace. It wasn't anything fancy, just a simple silver chain with a flame symbol at the end.

"Manon . . . I really like it. Thank you." He smiled at her, but paused when he noticed that her own smile was a bit crooked. It wasn't a sad sort of crooked . . . more like she knew something that he didn't and was proud of herself about it.

"You haven't seen the best part yet." Manon spoke, her voice quiet in his ear. She took the necklace gently into her own hands and prodded the flame with her nail until it popped open. Inside what Alain now knew was a locket, was a picture of him and Manon. It was a picture that Sycamore had taken the night of their wedding day. The two of them had passed out in the garden after all the excitement, and when the professor found them tangled together, asleep on the ground, he of course couldn't help but take a quick picture.

"Did you have to use this picture?" Alain muttered under his breath, not meeting her in the eyes. He tried to keep up his composed demeaner, but honestly, he wouldn't have wanted any other picture than this one. They were so relaxed in it . . . It was one of the best days of his life, and when he had fallen asleep with Manon in the garden he was the happiest he had ever been. He had felt free. Not to mention the sight of Manon's messy hair against the flowery field was one he wouldn't ever forget.

"Can I open my gift now, Alain?" Manon pleaded with pursed lips.

"Mmmm . . ." Alain closed his eyes in pretend contemplation. "I guess so."

An instant later Manon had her present in her lap. Alain had repositioned himself so that she could sit between his legs more comfortably. She grinned excitedly and started pulling at the wrapping paper. The package wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. When the final piece of wrapping came off, Manon wasn't anything except thrill. Alain had gotten her a box of assorted chocolates. It wasn't just a handful of them, it was the entire box. The box was filled with all her favourites and she knew that Alain had probably gone through a lot of trouble to find the perfect assortment for her.

"Alain, thank you!" She latched onto him again and Alain simply ran his hand through her hair as he held her close.

"I don't want you eating all of them at once." He responded quietly, resting his head on hers.

"I wouldn't-"

"You would. We're married, you can't lie to me. I know you way too well now." He laughed under his breath and felt her puff out her cheeks. "What do you want to have for Christmas dinner tonight?" He pulled away, looking down so he could see her eyes.

"I'll love anything you make." She replied, but paused a moment after. "Though, I think I could really go for one of your fancy soups . . . Arceus they are SO good"

* * *

Manon did not end up having any fancy soup.

Later in the afternoon, once they had cleaned up their living room and spent some one on one time together, Alain had gone to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Leaving Manon alone had been a mistake he wouldn't repeat ever again.

He had only been away from his wife for a half hour at the most. A half hour was plenty of time for her to devour her chocolates. Alain doubted it had even taken her that long. When he had stepped back into the room she had been climbing up Charizard as if the lizard was a jungle gym. Chespie had done his best to keep her safe, keeping his vines near her at all times.

"M-Manon, get off of Charizard, please!" Alain tried to call to her, but she was too busy bellowing out Christmas songs and laughing with the Pokemon to even hear him. Charizard didn't even seem to mind having Manon stuck to her. "Okay . . . Where did all this energy come from?"

"Hey Charizard," Manon turned to look the dragon in the eyes, not giving Alain any of her attention. "Do you want to help me hang up mistletoes around the apartment?"

"We are not-" Alain shouted.

Charizard nodded her head excitedly.

When Alain turned his head away defeatedly, he noticed the empty box of chocolates on the couch. The rest of the night flashed before his eyes. Manon would be a hyper mess, she would get sick, and then they would go to sleep. His soup did not fit into this new schedule . . .

* * *

She had gotten a stomach ache and Alain was not surprised. After about an hour of goofing around with Charizard and Chespie, they had hung at least ten mistletoes throughout the apartment, Manon had started to feel ill. Alain helped her to their room and she immediately fell to the bed and whined dramatically.

"You did this to yourself. I told you not to eat them all." Alain stated simply, crawling under the covers next to her. He heard her mumble in return but didn't think anything of it. Once Manon had pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor, Alain began to gently rub her back. She breathed out quietly, leaning into his hand. "You're really stupid sometimes, but I love you."

"I love you too . . ." Manon almost whispered, her eyes already fluttering. "Merry Christmas, Alain."

Alain placed a warm kiss on her cheek and continued to rub her back. He settled his head against her hair and closed his eyes, a smile on his lips.

"Merry Christmas, Manon."


	17. The Party

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1ae581c82531d52e904da64d4d2da88d""Alain, please! It's not going to be that bad." Manon's hands were on her hips and her mouth was twisted into a hard frown. She sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping. "It's just ONE party. We don't even have to stay the whole time."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a75f84ea6f2593fbf8ff3265cfb562a5""I don't like parties." Alain retorted, not bothering to look up from his papers. They were in his room, and Manon was certain that he hadn't moved from his chair the entire afternoon. "You can go yourself, you don't need me there."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f265eafe19a6393dffbfa0e78d21c550"The room was silent for a moment, the only noise was the quiet scratching of Alain's pencil. Manon held her tongue as she ran her hand through her hair. Alain was always like this ... He'd sit in the dark for hours, just researching and writing and learning everything he could. Manon was positive he would forget to eat if she didn't remind him./p  
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p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="496b5fe804259aec67281dd0ea9b2ef0"Alain pushed his chair out immediately and Manon stepped away quickly as he got up. "We're not staying the entire time." He said strictly, snatching a black coat from his closet. "And when we get home I'm going to go straight back to work."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="869f1caddefb1cf60f724444975edcd4"Manon brightened instantly and nodded, her excitement bubbling over. With a single movement she had her arms wrapped around him tightly, squeezing him hard and causing him to almost choke on his breath. The hug ended as soon as it had started. Manon was out the door a moment later, yelling back to Alain about how she had to get ready to leave./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="18f34464fb3453c7553f439c0e89975f"Alain waited by the front door for about 15 minutes before the redhead reappeared from her room. She was wearing a loose green t-shirt with a short black jacket and dark jeans. Her purse tapped against her hip as she made her way to the door. Alain couldn't help but notice the length her hair had grown since they had traveled so many years ago. The girl hardly ever left it unbound. It currently fell to the middle of her back, draping over her shoulders rather elegantly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="017c21167c8c03ad769b6c7c395e960b""Is this okay?" Manon questioned, biting her lip slightly as she pulled at the bottom of her shirt. "I really don't think I've ever gotten the hang of dressing up."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="36915a0f2132a2fa7eaf1870c7f59348""You really think you should ask me for clothing advice?" Alain tried to hide his smile but couldn't stop his lip from twisting upwards as he motioned to his own dark outfit. He had put on a nicer jacket thank the one he usually wore, but other than that everything he adorned was simple. "For what it means ... I think you look okay."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="68f9bfeb5c0ec7f1f7406a84a71451cf""Oh wow, what a compliment. I remember why I said yes when you asked if I'd go out with you now." Manon chided, letting her laughter fill the room. "Thank you, Alain."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cbc041a4f145bc1c6bbe6dccf1fb5b51"All Alain could do was nod as Manon headed out the door. He thought he could smell something as she left, maybe perfume? It was nothing heavy. The soft scent barely lingered and he almost forgot about it until they were in the car heading to the bar./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c4c9515b6730173da06cede8d0b84fd6""Did you put on perfume?" Alain asked, hesitant./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1a93216dab569766b333b122cab337dc""No, why?" He saw her turn to face him out of the corner of his eye, but he kept his gaze on the road ahead./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fb083697ddb67e1356fc5a335b212040""I was just curious." He responded quickly, shrugging. If she wasn't wearing perfume then why did she smell so damn nice?! Had she always smelled nice? What was wrong with him?/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="909377ad8c6475c2ca266c73b2377f31"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"It's because of what she did when I agreed to go to this stupid party. That's got to be it. Now she's going to drive me insane the entire night ... /emAlain couldn't stop himself from remembering what she had promised when she whispered into his ear. The very idea left him feeling weak in the knees. It was still a shock to him that he and Manon had actually become official. There had always been something between them, and the two had known, but it took a long while before either actually admitted to it./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c39982ca17beba4bb519bf05b22f4c76"The rest of the trip was rather silent, with Manon absently humming to a song in her head. The quiet was comfortable. It had to be after they had spent so many years traveling together when they were younger. They had grown so used to each other that not having much to say never felt weird anymore. They enjoyed the presence of the other without the need for words, and Alain couldn't be more thankful for that./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6a7cc125fff2bbf486f6659943af6023"Manon was quick to jump out of the car once they arrived. Alain followed her a bit more cautiously, keeping a close eye on her as they entered the rowdy building. It would have been dark inside, but the mess of multicoloured flashing lights left it almost blinding. He didn't quite recall what the party was for other than the fact that her friends had invited him to go with her. Was it Bonnie's birthday? Alain hazily recalled that the young girl was supposed to have one soon./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7ebfee72ec71139916d916186c7bcf1e"As he was lost in his mind, Manon pulled him through the crowd until they were sitting at the counter in front of the bartender. Manon immediately ordered a drink for herself, and one for him as well. He would have stopped her if he hadn't been so damn busy thinking./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="45a802b4f8a86101c4caf8eeb07e7414"Manon had already started up a conversation with a boy Alain didn't recognize when the drinks arrived. He absentmindedly sipped on his while the boy spoke to her. He wasn't that interesting in Alain's opinion but Manon seemed to think otherwise. Her eyes wide with wonder before she even knew his name./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e11c9ba6b3535130b4824e31805fde4f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"But she's always like that ... /emAlain reminded style="box-sizing: border-box;" It's one of the things that makes her different. She's always wanting to know more about everyone and everything./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f0d560503eb66b4ac502b6b30ed76cf3""My name's Austin, I'm friends with Bonnie" The boy said, pausing to run his hand through his hair. He seemed nervous. Alain narrowed his eyes, involuntarily moving a little closer to Manon without drawing attention to himself as he continued to focus his gaze on the drink in his hands. "I specialize in electric types."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d917488679374eb8a19d9cf7721ce044""I'm Manon." Manon grinned and stretched her hand out towards him. "I'm studying Mega Evolution with Sycamore at his lab."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="564f9a1840761eb0bb4966154d47fa2a"Austin seemed surprised at this fact. Perhaps he hadn't expected somebody with Manon's nonchalant demeaner to be interested in something as intense as Mega Evolution. But then another possibly crossed Alain's mind. Perhaps Austin hadn't expected her to even be interested in battling. Maybe he thought Manon would want to be some sort of coordinator or something./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0344411637a99f9ea3d0e7de1de96b64"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Why do I even care what he thinks?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ca81ded0fa72efc296e2bd4bdb66968f""That's amazing! Me and my partner Ampharos are actually looking for our own Key Stone and Mega Stone right now!" Austin replied quickly, his eyes bright. "We've been strengthening our bond for a long time now and once we get those stones we should be ready to go!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="339edcf9518db57e1813526919d4fd05"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Oh. He likes Mega Evolution too .../em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f3ab4b848a1835570c9a39e4e4b0cb83"It was then that something unexpected happened. Over the blaring music, Manon motioned towards him. "That's super cool!" Manon shouted excitedly over the blaring music. "Alain here actually researches Mega Evolution with me!" She motioned towards him and Alain gave the boy a short nod before turning away again. He heard Manon grumble with disappointment before sinking right back into the conversation./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d8b7bab0b33fa1b7780bd74c9cdd7712"After a good fifteen minutes Austin left to hang out with the guys he had come to the bar with and Manon called for another drink, her glass already empty. She looked back to Alain, her cheeks a little flushed. "That didn't go so well . . ."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cc2facbfb3b45f0fa3f23a4ff7d4f5d1""He wasn't interesting." Alain muttered, sipping from his glass again. He had hardly touched the drink, but anything was better than dealing with Manon trying to get him to engage in meaningless conversations. Just because he was willing to go to this party with her didn't mean he would talk to strangers that he didn't care about./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="91e45c74b522cf4ceadaaaf9c11fa918"Manon sighed exaggeratedly and thanked the bartender as he handed her a new drink. She started on it right away, downing half of it before setting it down. "Why don't we find Bonnie? You like talking to her, right?" She asked, a cautious and hopeful smile on her face./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a838c5e80446c4c60d29ca13076a8c74"Alain shook his head. His brain was already pounding with the sounds of the bar and talking to the enthusiastic Bonnie was probably the thing he wanted to do least. He would be sure to wish her a happy birthday when he wasn't battling a massive headache./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="da547e58fa7d66f4657b2c069cb9bdb2""I'm sorry, Alain. I thought that maybe if we went together you would like this more." Manon frowned and her hands clutched her glass tighter. "I was really wrong and now you're stuck here hating it. I guess I shouldn't have forced you to come with me ..." Her voice grew quiet, almost inaudible under the background noise./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2454cf8ab2128003ad328f74b6d84e6f"A heavy wave of guilt instantly crashed over him. Manon had only been trying to show him a good time. Not only that, she had tried to include him into a conversation and he had completely shut the opportunity down. He really had to stop doing that .../p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fed79c7f9b87854d8b3746ff9b56c41c""Do you want to dance?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="eeae0cd075c6a596bb625368602563d0"Manon's head shot up immediately, her eyes locking with his. "You want to dance?" She said, awestruck. "You hate dancing though. Why-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4d1d8ff6c6b72c4b7470a2b750e1851a"Alain took her wrist in his hand and dragged her into the crowd of swaying bodies. "You brought me out here to try and get me to have a good time." He muttered, slightly embarrassed and more than a little reluctant. He found it harder than ever to look into her amber eyes. He didn't have to say anything more before he felt Manon's hands wrap around his shoulders. Her head rested against his chest and he couldn't help but relax into her. His own arms settled over her and pulled her closer so that there was hardly an inch of space between them./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cf8607ce16cf27f6931c3b46888f01a3"Suddenly, everything seemed to make more sense. He didn't come to this party to talk to strangers or drink. He had come to make the girl he loved happy. Confidently, Alain took hold of one of Manon's hands and backed away from her without letting go. She was a bit shocked at first, but caught on to his intention. Alain couldn't help but laugh as Manon spun clumsily, guided by his hand, and then landed against him. He propped her up immediately. The two circled each other slowly, fingers entwined./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="21706230c693ae20337bcebc7e2c5a80"Nothing else mattered, and nothing else existed. It was just him and Manon. He was filled with warmth as he took in everything about her. She wasn't steady on her feet, and that wasn't just because of the alcohol. She would always be his clumsy love. But he loved her. He loved her more than anything./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2723702a337b07e3420dc5d072eaaf08"Manon yelped quietly as Alain pushed himself closer to her again, one of his hands wrapping around her back while the other took hold of one of her hands. He lowered her so that she almost touched the floor and placed a gently kiss on her lips before lifting her back up. Before he could do anything more, Manon had pressed her face close to his, so close that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his cheeks./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="78d93fdc30dfdf4d93c4ef3af1afc719""Why don't we head home, Alain?" She said, her voice distant and a little slurred. Desire and desperation in her silky tone./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="88156bfee7daae09f2bc1e700fa98760""But we haven't seen Bonnie yet-" Alain started, though it was hard to argue when he didn't want to stay either./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2f43996781f24dcb35a106df1b304fa3""Bonnie would understand." Manon countered immediately, pressing even closer. "There are other things that I want to do right now. If that's okay with you?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6990594b8414014cd7e07ea6e7b037db"Alain didn't answer her. Instead, he guided her towards the door, and then to the car. It was hard to concentrate on the road with Manon staring at him with a gaze he knew all to well by now. It was obvious to both of them that he wouldn't be working at all when he got home. That could wait until tomorrow. There were more important things on his mind, things he was certain wouldn't be as willing to wait as his research would be./p 


	18. Safe Arms

This fic is based on 11JJ11's fic Far From Yesterday

Sycamore's lab was quiet that afternoon. Manon was in the room she shared with Alain, her gaze trained on the book she had spread open on her desk. It was a book Max had shared with her about the bonds between people and their Pokemon. The section she was going over currently was one focusing on Psychic types. Even just reading about them made her head give off a small warning thrum, but she knew that there was no real danger. It was just a natural reaction from her mind.

She wished that she could do something about these trances. The horrible, pounding headaches she got around Psychic Pokemon impacted everything in her life. Even just walking along the streets of Lumiose city sometimes ended in Alain hurrying her back home while she was hardly able to keep herself standing.

 _I love Pokemon ... I love working with them and learning about them ..._

Her hands found her head as she sunk in her chair. She couldn't help but let her fingers brush over the scars on her arms.

 _I don't want to spend my life avoiding a part of something I love. I know it's not their fault. Or do I actually blame them all for what happened?_

 _Am I ... Am I really that selfish_

Throwing the thought from her mind, she slammed her palms onto the table and thrust herself out of her chair. Feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to solve anything. Her eyes scanned her desk until something shiny caught her attention. Her car keys. They hadn't been used in at least a year now, Alain hadn't allowed her to drive since her trances started becoming more frequent.

Nausea crawled up her throat as she realized how much of her freedom she had lost. Unable to go anywhere without help, always needing to avoid Psychic Pokemon, having to warn Alain every time she had a headache just in case it was an oncoming trance ... This wasn't how she wanted to spend her entire life!

 _I need to do more research. Maybe other people have experienced the same thing?_ Not finishing her thought, she reached for her keys and headed out of the bedroom towards the main entrance. The library was a short drive from the lab, nothing she couldn't handle. She could pick up some books and bring them back to the lab to keep studying.

She had just reached the door when a voice stopped her. She visible cringed, knowing exactly how the conversation was going to go even before it started.

"Where are you going?" Alain questioned, his voice loud in the open room.

"Just to the library." Manon answered quickly, trying to hide the keys from his sight. She knew it was no use though, Alain always saw through her.

"I'll drive." He held out his hand and she sighed. She had raised her hand, ready to drop the keys into his palm, when she froze. Immediately, she locked her fingers around the keys and drew her hand back. "Manon, come on-"

"No!" She cut him off. Her eyes locked with his briefly, then sunk to the floor as she chewed on her lip anxiously. "I can do it. I know I can do it. It's a short drive, barely ten minutes. I'll be fine." She tried to sound confident but the trembling in her voice was enough to convince Alain otherwise.

"You know you can't drive!" Alain stepped forward, closing a bit of the gap between them. "Lumious is huge! There are Pokemon everywhere all the time! What if you get a trance while driving?!"

Manon's hands tightened around the car keys, feeling the metal rubbing roughly against her skin. "I hate not being able to do anything, Alain! I always have to rely on you!" She stamped her foot against the tiles and sucked in a harsh breath. She felt like a child. The frustration of being cooped up at her age was overwhelming. She had just started to be independent and then it was taken away from her in the blink of an eye. "I want to drive. Just one time ... Please."

She watched as he hesitated. His eyes flickered away from hers and then right back again. "Fine ... You aren't going alone though. I'm going with you."

A grin broke out over Manon's face and she made no complain as Alain walked out the door ahead of her. He was going to let her drive for the first time in what felt like years. Even with him in the passenger seat, it was better than having somebody drive places for her.

Manon headed to their car quickly and got into the driver's seat. It felt odd being there. She had to adjust her chair just so she could reach the pedals, and Alain was already giving her worried glances out the corner of her eye. Ignoring him, she finished adjusting the mirrors and steering wheel so that she could reach and see everything she needed to. Excitement and nervousness fluttered throughout her entire body as she stuck the key in and twisted it. The car burst to life, more than satisfyingly, under her own fingers.

"You can relax, Alain." Manon sighed, not looking in his direction as she backed out of the lab driveway. He stiffened but remained silently when the car made it onto the road. "I know what I'm doing, you don't have to worry so much."

"We're just going to the library?" He asked.

"Just to the library." Manon assured. She didn't specify any more than she needed to, but Alain already knew she was hiding something from her. She could tell by how he was staring at her. His eyes hard and icy. When he finally spoke up, his voice was softer than she had expected.

"Why do you want to go to the library all of a sudden?" He leaned back in his seat, relaxing a bit. "Is it about one of your research projects with Max?"

Manon shifted a bit. Her shoulders tensed. She could try to lie ... He had given her the perfect opportunity. _Yes, Alain. I'm totally going to do research to help Max_. She immediately shook her head pressed her teeth together. "Well ..." She looked away from the road briefly to try and see if Alain was upset. He didn't seem to be. He was just watching her, his body loose and his eyes warm. "I was just thinking about my t-trances this morning." She admitted.

"Wait, you didn't have one did you-"

"No, no, no!" Manon hastily corrected him before he could start panicking. "I was just thinking that I don't want to be so restricted when it comes to researching and learning about something that I love so much. Psychic types aren't all bad, you know? It's not fair that I can't even get near one." She took a breath, unsure as to why she was trembling.

They were quiet after that. The traffic had gotten busy and they were hardly moving at all. There was a distant ring of people honking horns, but Manon never bothered to listen to them. It was always people in too much of a rush to get somewhere, when really what could they do if it was busy?

"I understand why you're upset, Manon. You don't have to try and pretend that you're fine all the time." Alain spoke up, turning towards her. "I know it's not easy for you to have to deal with the trances. And I know you try to hide it from me. You don't need to do that. I want to help you however I can."

Manon couldn't think of anything to say, all she did was nod. She hadn't even realized she had been trying to hide it from him ... He wasn't lying though. It was true. She always tried to be happy whenever he asked her how she was feeling. And she always tried to play things off whenever a trance did come around and he was with her. Deep inside, all she could think about everyday was how it wasn't fair.

Just as that thought left her head a dull, familiar throb took its place. Her stomach twisted with dread and her fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel. She shot Alain a quick glance before swiftly looking away. Her eyes darted to the other cars around her, but the shaded windows made it hard for her to look into them. Sweat trickled across her head and she tried to swallow the small whimper of worry that threatened to crawl from her throat.

"A-Alain ..." She looked to him again, her eyes wide. She didn't need to say more than that. He was already undoing his seatbelt.

The traffic hadn't moved an inch and the street was only getting busier. The light was still red, and it seemed to be dragging on without any hints of changing. Manon's hands suddenly shot off the steering wheel as she grabbed her head. The pain was horrible and her vision blurred in front of her. She briefly felt Alain grabbing her and saying something, but it was lost under the noise in her head.

Everything around her disappeared. She could hear a muffled yell, a weight on top her, and then something moving. But it was quickly replaced with silence and blackness that spread out all around her. The ache in her head subsided almost instantly. She blinked to try and clear her mind, but when she opened her eyes again she was floating far above the ground. The sky was dark, and dotted with small stars all around her.

It should have been so peaceful ... But she knew where she was. She recognized everything around her. Somewhere inside she was already counting down to what was coming.

 _20_

 _19_

 _18_

 _No stop, please not again ..._

 _14_

 _13_

 _12_

 _I can't keep doing this!_

 _11_

 _10_

 _9_

The hairs on her arms stood up and the chill licked at her skin. She couldn't move an inch, couldn't control any of her muscles. The seconds kept ticking by, and all she could do was breathe and wait.

It didn't take long. The green dragon shot out of the sky from seemingly nowhere. Its yellow markings were bright against the darkness and it roared so loudly that Manon thought she might go deaf. The sound rumbled through her bones and made her legs shake. She felt herself stiffen up, felt her eyes go wide in disbelief and fear. None of the actions were her own.

 _Rayquaza ..._

 _I can't do this again. I can't do it!_

Rayquaza's voice thundered throughout the sky and its narrow eyes trapped her in their sights. She could only watch as it opened its jaw and the horrible light started to gather within. Time seemed to slow as the ball of energy grew and grew until it looked like it was a seething mass of power. And then the Hyper Beam fired right at her.

She screamed as her body burned. The heat raced through her entire being, rushing all the way to her finger tips. She started to fall to the ground, the wind ripping at her clothes and her hair. In a moment it all rushed into a heavy darkness. The pain in her head slammed back into her, but the burning seemed to sizzle out until it was an ache that wrapped over her skin. She could feel hands around her, and a faraway screaming ...

"Manon, it's okay I'm here. I'm right here."

Her eyes struggled to open. She could feel the stickiness of tears on her cheeks. Once the blackness began to fade she was able to make out Alain's face. He wasn't screaming though. He was watching her, running his hands through her hair, and placing warm kisses against her face. The screaming was coming from her. And once she realized her screams warped into horrible sobs.

"Manon, it's over, I'm right here." His arms pulled her closer. She could hardly breathe as she tried to reorient herself. They were still in the car, but he had pulled over to the side of the road just after the red light. They were both sitting in the passenger seat now.

Too tired to try and thing more, Manon held tightly to Alain's jacket and buried her head into him. His scent didn't only calm her, it reminded her that she was safe and away from the things that horrified her. She could still feel the headache, but Alain's gentle touch was making the pain sink away. Her breathing gradually evened out, and the tears slowed to a stop as he slowly rocked her back and forth.

"I'm sorry, Alain ..." She whispered once she felt she could speak without her words being too slurred to understand. She hoped that he knew what she meant. He had been right about driving being a bad idea. She should have listened but she was too stubborn ...

"Don't." He said simply. It was all he had to say. His voice was soft but stern. They sat in silence for a while, before he pulled away and looked into her eyes. They were still red from crying, but she could see from the way he watched her that he loved her. "Let's go home and rest. We can go to the library tomorrow, okay? I'll take you first thing in the morning." He kissed her head lightly.

It took everything she had to stop herself from apologizing over and over. She settled for a nod and Alain got her settled in her seat before moving to the driver's side. It didn't take long for them to get back to the lab, and he helped her to their room once they were back.

Manon welcomed their bed without any resistance. The covers embraced her as Alain tucked her in. She felt the mattress drip before an arm wrapped over her and pulled her close. Alain's breaths touched her neck, and she pressed herself even closer to him, her legs wrapping with his. The trance from earlier was already just a dim memory. She felt so safe and more content than she had in a long while.

"Alain, I love you ..." She whispered, her voice drifting to nowhere in particular. She was so tired, her bones and skin feeling all too heavy.

"I love you too Manon." Alain whispered. It was the last thing she heard before the quiet of sleep fell over her and led her into a much needed quiet nothingness.


	19. The Fire Fang Incident

This fic is based on 11JJ11's fic Far From Yesterday

Manon frowned as she poked at the waffle on her plate. She bit her lip and chanced a glance up at Alain. He was sipping at his morning coffee, casually leaning against the countertop staring right back at her expectantly. Her eyes fell back to the waffles. They were coated in syrup, just how she liked them, but that didn't mean she wouldn't see those damn seeds drifting around in the sugary liquid.

"Why would you ruin perfectly good waffles?" Manon pouted, using her fork to guide one of the seeds off of her breakfast and onto the plate.

"Because you absolutely drown your waffles in syrup and whipped cream." Alain retorted. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the single seed that Manon had pushed off of her pile of waffles. "And don't try to ask me where the whipped cream is."

"I already know where it is." She crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair and tapping her foot against the ground. "You threw it out. You're such a bully."

Alain stiffened before pushing off of the counter and pacing around the table. "You don't need any more sugar, Manon!" He spread his arms out wide, like he couldn't even believe he was having this conversation with her. "You get twice the recommended amount daily, I've done the math!"

Manon huffed and looked away from him stubbornly. "That's such an Alain/thing to do." She muttered. Stabbing one of the waffles with her fork, she turned her head back to him and smirked. "Everyone has their food weaknesses, Alain. What about you and your coffee addiction?" She tore a piece of her waffle away with the fork and pointed it right at the mug in his hand, syrup dripping steadily onto the floor.

" _ **Don't**_ bring my coffee into this!"

The two glared at each other for a few moments longer, before a smile cracked across Manon's face and she burst out into a fit of laughter. Alain couldn't keep his own frown much longer as he watched his soon-to-be-wife struggling to contain herself.

Once they had settled down, Manon hurriedly stuffed the waffles in her mouth as Alain finished his coffee and prepared some toast for himself. They finished their breakfasts in silence and Manon thanked Alain for the food once the dishes were in the sink.

"You sure you don't want me to help?" Manon mumbled, watching as Alain dropped one last fork into the sink full of hot water and soap. "I could do the drying while your washing them?"

Alain paused. "Well ... It's not that I don't appreciate the offer ..." He quickly grabbed the cloth from below the sink. "But last time you tried to help with the dishes you dropped at least 3 of them."

"Fine . . ." Manon grumbled. She swallowed her irritation, knowing that there was no point in arguing with Alain. He wasn't exactly wrong ... "I think I'm going to go get dressed. Then maybe Max and I can do some more work, if he's up for it."

"Are things going alright with your projects?" Alain inquired, not removing his eyes from the knife in his hands.

"Well . . . We've run into a few bumps, but nothing serious. We're making good progress. It's harder now though ... I can't exactly be around if there's something we need his Gardevoir for."

"But that's not something to blame yourself for. You're still doing everything you can to help-" Manon pressed her hand gently to Alain's back, silencing him before he could continue. He swallowed the rest of his words and sighed, letting his focus fall back towards his chore.

"It's okay, Alain. I know that now." Manon smiled at him before patting him on the shoulder and heading out of the kitchen. The lab was quiet that morning, but Manon could hear Sophie and Sycamore chatting in one of the sitting rooms. They were probably sharing their morning teas, which had turned into a kind of routine of their own.

It didn't take long for Manon to make her way up the stairs. With everyone being downstairs, the upper floor was almost entirely silent. The lights were off, but the morning sun pouring through the window made it hardly matter at all.

Manon gently pushed open the door to the room she shared with Alain, but she froze as soon as she saw what was waiting for her. A Charmeleon was resting on the bed. Its tail flicked up and down impatiently, like a clock ticking through the seconds. The flame at the tip flared when it locked its eyes on her. The lizard rose slowly, silver eyes narrowed and sharp. Its hips rocked as it raised its head, an angry hiss leaking from its jaws.

"A-Alex . . ." Manon stammered, her hands raising just slightly as she froze in the doorway. She hadn't been on the best terms with the Charmeleon ... They had used to get along but then ... She shoved the thoughts aside as fast as they had come. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't mean to disturb you."

The Charmeleon, Alex, snorted with a toss of his head. He grazed a talon slowly across the blanket. Manon's eyes were glued to the claw, watching it creep forward, and she couldn't help but yelp when Alex suddenly snapped his arm up and tore the blanket with a roar.

"Alex, I'm sorry! I know I can't fix things!" Manon burst out, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Her limbs were shaking but she didn't know if it was from fear or frustration. "I don't want us to fight ... I hate this, Alex! We were friends before! I miss you!"

Alex growled as he slid off the bed, his movements seamless. He watched her, not moving once they were on even ground. He waited, then took a single step towards her. Manon could feel the heat from his burning tail from where she stood, but she didn't back away. Her hands went back to her sides and she curled her fingers into fists.

"I know I don't have the right to ask ... I just ..." Her vision blurred as tears formed in her eyes. Not bothering to wipe them away, she forced herself to continue. "Please forgive me ... I never wanted any of it to happen ..." She took a cautious step forward and the heaviness in her heart lifted slightly when Alex didn't back away. "I blame myself every single day. I know that you blame me too, but please, I'm begging you Alex, please forgive me!"

Alex howled and stormed towards her, nothing short of fury consuming his face. Manon didn't have time to move. She was on the floor in seconds and Alex had his claws buried into the skin of her arms. Drool seeped from his mouth, dripping onto her pajama shirt as she lay frozen beneath him. Fear rushed through her, she could barely bring herself to move as Alex raised one of his arms above her. She rolled just as it came crashing down. The floor quaked at the impact and Manon shoved Alex off of her with her feet before she scrambled into the hall.

 _I need to get to the others!_

The stairs were in sight when she felt a stab of pain in her leg. The floor hit her hard in the chest when she dropped. She twisted onto her back quickly and caught sight of Alex just as he crawled on top of her. Her leg was pulsing with a hot pain, and she didn't need to look to know that Alex had caught it with his claws.

"Alex, I'm sorry!" Manon cried out as he closed the distance between their faces. His snout was so close that she could feel the burning heat from his nostrils. "I'm sorry ..." She closed her eyes, a small whimper escaping from her lips.

She couldn't bring herself to look at him, not until a strange wave of boiling energy washed over her body. Struggling to open her eyes, she saw what was happening and choked out a scream. Fire was forming along Alex's fangs, and his target was her.

"A-Alex, what are you doing?" Manon tried to crawl back on the palms of her hands, but the Chameleon slammed his claws down on her shoulder, shoving her right back against the floor. Her head hit the ground with a hard thud. She could hardly keep her eyes open against the blaze as Alex shot forward. His teeth dug right into her side and scorched her flesh instantly from the inside out. Manon shrieked and her body instantly writhed under the Pokemon holding her down. Tears streamed from her face as she wailed, her voice growing louder and louder until she was sure all of Lumiose could hear her pain.

 _ **"MANON?!**_

A loud voice filled her ears, but it was muffled against the agony that seemed to be drowning her. Her vision was blurred, but she could see Alex throwing his head from side to side, as if he was trying to tear her apart. More figures filled her vision, pulling the dragon off of her. She could hardly watch as Alex turned on whoever had removed him from her. Darkness was closing in on her and she couldn't tell if she was still screaming.

There was a flash of red, followed by a strange silence.

"Manon, can you hear me? Open your eyes!"

Manon couldn't tell who was speaking, couldn't tell if the voices were real, or if she had her eyes open or not. All she knew was that the only thing she could feel was a terrible, sizzling pain that touched everywhere from her head to her toes. She could barely breathe. Her body felt as though it was strangling her from the inside.

"She's bleeding really badly! What do I do?!"

"Alain, I'm calling an ambulance. Stay with her!"

That voice had been deeper ... Was it Sycamore? That would make sense ... Sycamore and Alain had heard her and had saved her.

 _I want to see Alain ..._

She forced her eyes open, just enough to make out the blurry silhouette above her. She could feel Alain's gentle arms around her, feel how she was lifted from the ground and into his lap.

"Manon, I'm sorry. I'm sorry! He was supposed to be outside. I shouldn't have let him out without watching him." Alain whispered, pulling her closer to him. He felt so warm, but it was completely unlike Alex's searing fire. Strength dissolving, Manon's eyes slid closed and she let herself sink into an uneasy sleep.

The pain seemed to follow her even there ...

Everything was quiet aside from a strange, dull thrumming sound. Manon was aware of a dull pain in her side. She tried to blink, but a harsh white light attacked her eyes the moment she opened them, making her wince. Once her vision had adjusted, she realized that she was resting in a hospital bed. The walls were white, and so were the floor tiles, and the hanging lights on the ceilings ... Everything was white and it made her eyes sting.

Manon's head felt strangely heavy, like she couldn't think straight. Her body felt stiff and sore all over, tingles of pain running across her skin whenever she breathed in. She turned slightly and froze. Alain had his head resting on the side of her bed, his eyes closed and his breaths almost silent. Not thinking for a moment, Manon weakly reached out to him with her hand, the slight strain instantly sending a scathing pain through her side. Her entire body tensed and she swallowed a moan.

Alain must have felt her move. She watched as he lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. His gaze wandered to the hand she had tried to hold out to him, and he wrapped it gently in his own fingers as if it would break apart. They were silent for a long while. Neither knew what to say or where to even start ...

"How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Alain bit his lip and pushed his chair closer to the front of the bed so that she wouldn't need to raise her voice louder than she had to. "The doctors have already given you some painkillers but if you're still hurting I can see if they'll get you more."

Manon struggled to put together his words for a moment, but when she managed she came to a very immediate conclusion. "No more painkillers ..." Her head felt like a drifting cloud and she didn't like it. She needed to think, especially after what had happened. "It's my fault. He hates me so much, and I know it's my fault."

"Manon, what are you even saying-"

"Alex had the right to do what he did. I hurt him so badly, Alain. Everything that he's gone through, its been because of me." Her words were slow and messy as she tried to speak. She would have been more upset if it wasn't for the fact that she knew she'd still be in agony without the drugs.

"It's not your fault." Alain muttered, his shoulders tense. He lifted one of his hands away from hers and rested it against her head. Her eyes closed and a small, content sigh escaped her lips as he ran his hand through her hair. "I thought Alex was the only one that still needed to understand that."

Manon shook her head tiredly. She tried to lift herself into a sitting position but Alain stopped her before she had barely moved at all. He gently pushed on her shoulder and she relaxed against the bed again. The pain in her side burned in warning, telling her that she was lucky Alain had kept her from moving more than she had.

"The doctor said that you should move as little as possible, or the wound won't heal as quickly." He tore his eyes away from hers, looking to the small window behind him. "They said it will leave a pretty big scar ..."

"I really don't need more of those, do I?" Manon joked flatly. She regretted it when she noticed the small shivers running across Alain's arms. "Everything is fine, Alain. I'm okay ..."

Alain shook his head vigorously. "Nothing is okay! I haven't been able to protect you from anything!" He took her arm in his hand and ran his thumb cross the twisting white scars. "None of this should have happened. I couldn't protect you then, and I can't even seem to protect you now."

"But you did protect me!" Manon raised her voice slightly, ignoring the flare of pain that her body reprimanded her with.

"You were bleeding out on the lab floor because of MY Pokemon!" Alain barked back, hardly listening to her.

Manon took a deep breath and set her hand on Alain's shoulder to try to calm him. "Maybe, but you still saved my life. Not just today either. You saved me back in the d-desert ..." She stammered, knowing neither of them liked to mention that place. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for you."

Shifting in the bed to make room beside her, Manon patted the new empty space. Alain didn't hesitate before he crawled under the covers beside her, careful not to touch her. "I worry about you so much ... You have no idea how terrified I was when I heard you scream."

Alain's icy eyes wavered as tears brimmed at their edges. Manon's own gaze widened at the realization and she smiled softly at him, moving her head so that it rested against his chest. They didn't speak after that. The minutes passed by, both of them simply enjoying the warmth and presence of each other.

 _I love you, Alain ..._


End file.
